Sonny With A Chance of Heart Break
by mauigurl26
Summary: So Random is taking a break & Sonny is off to the city for theater & Broadway chances She stays with Tawnis cousin Casey which takes on an interesting twist as soon as she meets him and confronts several obstacles in her quest for the perfect summmer.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- this should be pretty short, only a few chapters, but I think I know how I want the story to go…

Review please!!! And read my other SWAC stories….I also have Percy Jackson and if you liked the Cinderella Story movies (both 1 and 2) read my other story, "My Cinderella Story"… Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Bye, everyone! I will miss you all so much! Don't forget to write, okay?" I cried as I waved out the window of the limo. The cast and Marshall waved back.

I was off on my own. _So Random_ was over for now, the ratings had been going down, so we did a last, phenomenal, one hour show and we were now taking a break for a year in order to hopefully come back in a few months, do a show, and have the ratings of the now-eager viewers higher than ever.

I was still getting paid of course, though not as much as before. So I had made the choice to abandon my L.A. apartment for the time being, having my friend Lucy staying in it to complete a summer internship at a nearby fashion magazine headquarters.

I was on my way to New York City to work in a drama theater and maybe perform on Broadway if I got lucky.

Marshall and Mr. Condor had sent many letters of recommendations to the producers of Broadway and the theater department I was to be attending just so I could get in. Now I had to figure out where I would be going to school and how I would get there.

Tawni had set me up with a place to stay, though and I owed her one. She apparently had a cousin who lived in NYC who owned an art studio and lived in the loft above it. She had thought of the idea while watching _Princess Diaries_ about a week before I left, saying the loft in the film looked exactly like her cousin's. I was hoping she would be wrong, though.

I had never met her cousin, but from what Tawni told me, her cousin's name was Casey, she was one year older than Tawni and me, so 21, and a very successful artist.

I was so busy thinking about my new life that my limo driver, Lana, had to snap her fingers in front of my face before I acknowledged her.

"Sonny! Sonny!" I started.

"Oh. Sorry, Lana."

"Mr. Condor gave me strict orders to see you on your plane. And if you keep up this daydreaming, the only thing I will see is you waiting in the terminal because you missed your flight!"

"Okay. Let's get going then," I said, picking up my bag and leaning across the mini fridge to get the rest of my luggage.

"I've got it. You just go on inside. Meet me by the security lanes."

I climbed out of the limo into the blinding Californian sunshine. I blinked slowly, my eyes adjusting to the harsh light.

"Oh. My. Gosh. It's Sonny Monroe from _So Random_!" Uh oh. That's never a good thing to hear.

I turned to see a crowd of teenage tourist girls, ranging from about age nine to fifteen. They had all turned excitedly in my direction and were pointing, whispering, and digging through their bags, obviously to find a piece of paper and a pen for me to sign autographs.

Lana poked her head out of the limo. "Trouble," she said, and jumped out of the car, my bags in hand. Thank you, Lana, for stating the obvious.

"Come on Sonny," she said, pulling me and my luggage into the airport. The pack of girls followed, not getting the hint that I was going to miss my flight. I sighed.

"Lana? Can you put my bags on the plane? I am just going to sign these autographs," I said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"All right. Anyone who wants an autograph, please hurry up and line up, I am going to miss my flight!" I said, a teeny bit excited to be signing autographs. But they better not make me have to wait around for another flight. That would not be cool.

About thirty girls lined up patiently in front of me. They all had a piece of paper ready when they came up to me. I was signing the last girl's paper within minutes.

"Hey, what is your name?" I asked kindly.

"Maria," she said shyly.

"And how old are you, Maria?"

"I'm ten."

"And what group is this?"

"It's a summer tour group that goes to different cities in the world, where we do community service." Wow, a ten year old girl doing volunteer work around the world.

"Wow, that is really neat of you to be doing that," I said truthfully. "And how about this? For all your hard work, I'm gonna tell you something." I waved all the girls back over, and they crowded around me excitedly.

"All right, girls. I'm gonna tell you a secret. But you can't tell anyone else," I whispered, motioning the girls closer. They leaned in, straining to hear me, afraid to miss a word.

"_So Random_ is taking a break so its ratings will be higher. But it will come back in a few months, better than ever. And I want all of you to be there. So write your names and addresses on one piece of paper. And I will mail VIP passes to you when the show comes out, okay? Because I think it is so cool what you are doing to help people," I finished, fishing a piece of paper from my bag. "But hurry. I am on my way to New York and I don't want to miss my flight."

The girls were giggling as they quickly wrote their info the paper and passed it back to me.

"Thanks!" they said in unison, waving at me. Lana appeared behind me.

"That was really something."

"I know. But they deserved it," I said, standing up. "Now let's go catch that flight."

I would have missed my flight. But thankfully, it was delayed an hour, so I made it to the terminal with a few minutes to spare.

I had gone into the airport's bathroom, pulling on a baseball cap with sunglasses and a baggy sweatshirt so no more eager fans would want my autograph on the plane. Sometimes, enough was enough.

I had also waved Lana off before I got on the plane, promising I would be okay and to say hi to all my friends back at _So Random_ for me.

My flight was nothing major, though a little girl almost spotted me once, but thankfully, her mom pulled her into another terminal before she could say anything.

I arrived after a few side stops in New York. Marshall had been kind enough to send a limo to wait for me at the airport to take me to Tawni's cousin's studio in New York City, since the plane did not stop in the actual city.

I was really tired from jet lag, even though I had slept on the plane. It was nearing seven in the morning in New York, but back home it would only be four. So I was super tired and did not enjoy being woken up by the stewardess on the plane telling me to get up since the plane was landing.

The crowd of people eager to be in the city jostled me to the baggage claim, and it took only a few minutes to find my three suitcases, all clearly marked with a hot pink luggage tag.

Now the hard part came. I had to figure out which entrance I was supposed to take to get in the limo. I tried two doors unsuccessfully, and the third one was the charm. I stepped into the bright, and slightly colder than California, air of New York to find a limo with a sign saying _Sonny M. _in the passenger side window.

An elderly man stepped out of the limo when he noticed me.

"You must be Sonny. I am Howard, your driver for the time being. Let me take those," he said warmly, reaching for my bags.

"Oh, thank you. And it's nice to meet you," I said, climbing into the limo.

Howard put my bags into the limo and sat down in the driver's seat.

"Marshall is giving you something to make your stay in New York City a bit easier. You won't need it often, of course, unless you are traveling outside of the city to run errands or something, but all the same, Marshall gave you a car." Ooh, thank you, Marshall.

"What kind of car?" I asked suspiciously. Marshall was not the kind of guy with a good taste in cars. He drove a tattered Mustang that had to be from the 1950's. And it was old and rusty.

"Oh, nothing like the one he drives." Phew. "It's much better. And environmentally safe. You'll see it when you get to the art studio."

Now I was more antsy than suspicious.

"We're here," Howard said half an hour later. Wow. The studio looked to be like an old town house. It was bright white, though and splatter painted. And parked right in front of the studio, next to the sidewalk, was a bright pink and silver smart car.

"No. Way!" I shouted, running out of the car as soon as Howard parked in the spot next to the car. "Is this mine?" I said, still screaming. Howard came to stand behind me, my bags in hand.

"Yep. Marshall thought you would like it. I'll have to tell him you do."

"Nice ride," a guy said from behind me.

I turned. And stared at the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. He had dark black hair that went to just past his ears and flopped over his right eye perfectly. It had a single bright blue streak in it that matched his eyes. He was wearing paint-splattered jeans and a white, chest hugging, t-shirt that showed off his perfectly sculpted chest. His feet were covered with a pair of Vans and his mouth was turned up in a smirk.

All I could manage was a "Hi."

"Hello yourself," he said, sticking out his hand, which was also covered in paint.

"You must work for Casey," I said, shaking his hand, not wanting to ever let go. This guy would have to be Casey's boyfriend or something, having just walked out from behind the studio covered in paint.

"You could say that," he said grinning. "You must be Sonny."

I nodded. "Yep. I guess I'll be staying here for a while. This is so cool of Casey to let me stay here."

"Well, Sonny, it's nice to meet you. I'm Casey. And you're welcome. I really don't mind," he said, a mischievous glint in his eye. He bent down and grabbed my bags from the sidewalk and headed inside.

Wait, what? Did he just say his name was Casey? Tawni made it sound like her cousin was a _her_, not an adorable _him_. Oh boy.

A/N- So what did you think? Review, review, review!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I glanced at Howard as I scurried past him on my way into the art studio. He winked at me as he climbed back into his limo.

"Enjoy your stay," he said, his brown eyes twinkling as he drove away. I blushed.

"Wow," I said, as I stepped into the art studio. It was amazing.

The spacious floor was wide open, no separate rooms. The walls were a bright and cheerful sky blue with white polka dots and stripes. The wall furthest away from me, leading to the back alley had a beautiful mural of random and brightly colored shapes. But when I really looked at it, the shapes all came together to look like a person sitting at an easel painting.

The entire floor was wooden, but a few feet away from the door, it was covered in a paint-splattered plastic sheet that went all the way to the back of the studio.

The section to the right of me was covered in finished (and probably drying) paintings, propped up against the wall and white shelves. To my left, paintings were in glass cases with wooden pedestals. This was the only other part of the studio that did not have a plastic sheet on the floor. The back of the studio held all different sized easels, with a bucket of paintbrushes next to each. The wall closest to the easels was covered from top to bottom with shelves, all full with various sponges, paint bottles and tubes, and palettes.

In the very center of the room was a spiral staircase, not grand like in the Cinderella movies, but a metal staircase, with flimsy looking stairs. The best part, though, was the blue, plastic, curly slide spiraling around the outside of the staircase.

"This is amazing!" I commented, gingerly stepping onto the plastic covering. Casey was standing a few feet away from me with my bags at his feet, looking at me nervously, as if unsure how I would take his studio.

His features relaxed. "Really? You like it?" He grinned.

I nodded. "Of course! Why wouldn't I? This is so cool. I never had anything like this in L.A. or Wisconsin!"

"Really? You're from Wisconsin?"

I nodded again, both pleased and nervous with his reaction. "Yeah. I lived there my whole life, until I turned seventeen and moved to L.A. to be on _So Random_."

"That's cool. Here, lemme take you upstairs and show you around." He led me up the winding staircase, which turned out to be a lot more stable than it looked.

The upstairs was much more modern than the studio. It had a main area with a flat screen that had several gaming systems connected to it, as well as a bright red modern couch and clear glass coffee table. The corner of the main area had a red plastic bowl-like thing that hung sideways from the ceiling, with a white cushion in it.

"It's a chair," Casey said, noticing my confusion. "And a comfortable one at that. Oh, and take your shoes off, please."

I looked down and promptly slipped off my sneakers. The carpet covering the entire room was a fluffy white and looked very expensive. I did not want to ruin it the first day I was staying here, having to look at a shoe stain on the fluffy carpet the rest of my stay.

"Okay, so the first door to your left-" he indicated the first door, a bright silver color at that. "That is the kitchen, which in turn leads to the dining room. I have no idea when your classes are, but I usually get up around ten to eat breakfast before opening the studio for morning art classes at eleven. Anyway, the door next to that is the bathroom, the one after that is my room, which has it's own bathroom, so be careful not to run me out of hot water when I come up after closing down the studio. The one next to that-" he pointed again, we were not at the door straight across the room from us- the room was slightly circular, but boxy at the same time, it was very odd, "is your room. It also has it's own bathroom. The room next to yours is the gaming room, which ahs a door to the fire escape slash balcony, which has a grill and a patio set. The room next to that is my office for money purposes, I rarely use it, and the one directly to your right, leads to the quote, grand foyer. There is a door leading from the foyer that leads to another guest bedroom, the one either Tawni uses when she comes down to visit, or my old roommate from the private high school I used to go to visits. Which reminds me, he is coming in three days, so just don't get freaked out if you wake up on Monday to see a stranger drinking coffee and bowling on the Wii. And that is about it. I'm going to stop talking now so you can go get settled. I need to get back down for my toddler art classes." He looked at his watch. "Shoot. They're gonna be here in ten minutes, and I haven't set up!" He nodded to me, then ran up to the base of the slide and pushed himself down, laughing as he slid.

Wow, he was adorable. I really should call Tawni and thank her. I picked up my bags from where Casey left them, and proceeded to step across the very, very soft carpet to the silver door that Casey indicated as mine.

Was everything in this loft amazing, or what? My room was a soft pink with green stripes. The bed was a giant black canopy bed and there was a green and pink door to the far left, which I presumed led to the bathroom. I had a pink nightstand with a black phone on it and a green lava lamp. The ceiling fan was green and black polka dotted, and the black armchair with a small TV in front of it matched the room perfectly. Overall, it appeared I was to be sleeping in a giant watermelon for the next six or seven months.

I started to unpack and I pulled out my cell and put Tawni on speaker while I put away my stuff.

"The Tawni Hart who looks practically stunning today, how can I help you? Oh, who am I kidding? I look amazing every day! So what do you want?"  
"Tawni? Hey, it's Sonny. First of all, I want to scream at you for not telling Casey was indeed a guy, not a girl like I thought. And second, I want to see you and give you a big hug for having such a hot cousin!"

Tawni giggled on the other line. She smacked her lips before replying, obviously putting on her Coco Moco Coco lipstick. "Looks run in the family," she said mildly. "So you have your eyes on my cousin?" she asked, hoping for some juicy dirt that she could spill.

"Well, I sure hope so," I commented. I paused, straining my ears. Was that child laughter I heard? Oh, yeah, he was supposed to be teaching a class to little kids. I thought he was kidding, though.

"Well, good luck to you," Tawni said. "He just broke up with his girlfriend Liza a few weeks ago, so he is wide open," she said.

"Okay, then," I said. "I have to go unpack, Tawni. Stay pretty," I said, finishing our conversation with our usual farewell.

"Stay fashion sense-less," she said, saying her part. I hung up, hurriedly putting my clothes and stuff where they belonged. Then, I freshened up. I was still wearing my sweats from the airport.

I came out of my room after a nice, hot shower. My hair was still wet, so I put it up in a high ponytail. It was surprisingly cool in New York, compared to California in the summer, so I had a not too long, not too short jean skirt Tawni bought for me and a baby blue tank top that revealed a little too much, if you know what I mean. But I was not in the mood to go looking for anything else.

Besides, I had a boy to catch!

I slid down the curly slide with easy grace, landing steadily on my feet at the bottom. I walked over to where Casey was towering above ten or so little kids, all under the age of five. He had put down individual sheets of white paper, and the kids had their pants rolled up as to avoid their paint-covered piggies, which were busy stomping around their paper.

"Hey, Sonny," he said, his eyes twinkling as he saw me. But he was interrupted by a wail. A little girl with her blonde and curly hair pulled into two adorable pigtails fell onto her rear end, right onto her painting. The twinkling in his eyes disappeared, replaced by stress.

"Looks like you could use some help," I said, reaching down to pick up the little girl.

"Definitely. Can you cope with little kids, though? I had hired a teen girl a year ago, and she got frustrated with them very easily."

"Please," I scoffed. "Little kids are my thing. If I hadn't gone into acting, then I would have been a kindergarten teacher." I looked up, avoiding his bright eyes before I stopped breathing forever. "Now you wouldn't happen to have a spare pare of shorts for her, would you? I asked, soothing the little girl while trying successfully to not get blue and orange paint on my skirt.

"As a matter of fact, all these kids come with a change of clothes," he said, proudly walking over to a rack of bins. "Let's see…Sydney, Sydney, Sydney," he mumbled to himself. "Ah, here we are," he said, pulling out a pair of hot pink shorts.

"Thanks," I said, trying hard not to blush as his hand grazed mine. Needless to say, I failed.

I took the still crying Sydney upstairs to change her shorts.

I slid down the slide with her in her new shorts a few minutes later. She was still crying.

"How old is she?" I asked, walking back up to Casey who was helping a boy sign his name to his painting.

"Who, Sydney? She just had her third birthday last month. She's a bit of a crier," he commented.

"No kidding, " I said, bouncing her on my hip. "Can I have a fresh piece of paper?" I asked him.

"Sure. But aren't you a little old for this class?" I whacked him on his back on my way to the corner of the studio with Sydney, a bottle of blue paint, and the piece of paper.

I put down the paper on the plastic and sat Sydney down. She was still crying, her eyes puffy and her shirt wet. I went back to the shelves and grabbed a box of wipes and wiped off her feet.

"Here, sweetie," I said, dipping Sydney's fingers in the blue paint. "Now paint on your paper," I said. She looked at me warily. I nodded my encouragement and she focused all her attention on drawing squares and squiggles on the paper. Sure enough, she stopped crying and only painted quietly. I stood up carefully, hoping not to trigger the tears again.

"How did you _do_ that?" Casey asked as I triumphantly grinned and walked over to him.

"I have superior skills!" I said and walked over to a kid who had just fallen face-first into the plate of pink paint.

"Here, let's get that wiped up," I said, carefully kneeling besides the boy and wiping off his face.

Ten minutes later, the parents came for pick up. Another ten minutes later, Casey and I were lounging on his couch, both worn out.

"So. How did you like your first toddler art class?" he asked, turning just enough to look at me lazily. I laughed.

"It was a fascinating experience. You work really well with the kids," I told him.

"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself, Sonny. So…you wanna grab some lunch and I can show you around?" he asked.

"Sounds like fun," I replied, standing up. "Lemme get my shoes."

I came back a few minutes later, flip-flops in hand. I decided to let my hair dry out and it was now flowing down my back in damp waves.

Casey was coming out of his door next to mine. He had changed out of his paint covered clothes and was now in a pair of ripped khaki shorts and a striped polo. He had pushed his hair out of his eyes, and it did not want to cooperate, it just flopped back in his eyes adorably.

He looked at me, caught me looking at him looking at me, and looked away, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

I broke the awkward moment. "So, come on, let's go. It's almost one and I am starving," I said, walking towards the stairs.

"Beat you down," Casey said, whipping down the slide. I took off down the stairs, trying to get to the ground before him. I lost.

We walked out of the café in high spirits, me just having the best lunch ever, and Casey, because he found a five-dollar bill under our table.

"So. We are now off to Rockefeller Center to eat some ice cream. They have the best ice cream during the summer. And in the wintertime, it is turned into an ice rink. It's so cool."

"Wow," I commented, looking around me at the busy streets and high skyscrapers.

"Yeah, wow is right. New York city is awes-" he was interrupted by my mooing phone.

"Oh, hold on, I gotta take this," I said, glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sonny, it's Chad.

A/N- review, tell me what you thought and what you want to see in upcoming chapters!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Oh. Um, why are you calling me?" I asked, motioning to Casey that I would just be a minute. He nodded and wandered off to buy a newspaper from a vendor.

"I heard from Tawni that you are in New York for a while. You know, since your show is kind of, I don't know how to put this- old, boring, unliked, not good…" he trailed off.

"Chad. Shut up. Please," I complained, walking over to where Casey was now sitting on a bench reading his paper.

"Why?" he asked innocently. I felt the sudden urge to slap him. Only he was thousands of miles away, so it would not be worth it to fly there then back. But Chad being Chad, he made it easier on me.

"Anyway, _Mackenzie Falls_ is doing an episode in New York City next month. Maybe you could, ah, show me the sights. And I may even let you be photographed with me," he said cheekily. I sighed silently.

"Chad? Are you trying to flirt with me? 'Cause it's not working," I stated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Casey glance briefly at me then back down at his paper. I smiled to myself. It was nice to know that the idea of the "mystery guy with me on my phone" bothered him.

On the other line, Chad sputtered defiantly for a split second. "No. Definitely not. I was being honest. I honestly would want someone to show me around. I need to know all the best places to meet fans and get photographed and eat the most expensive stuff."

Okay, now he was back to the Chad Dylan Cooper I knew and detested.

"Fine," I sighed loudly. Just text me the dates and I'll set something up with you if and only if you behave yourself," I told him sternly.

"Deal," Chad told me. I heard a ring in the distance. "Okay, I'm being called back to set so I have to go, but just one question for you to think about. When have I ever not behaved myself?" He hung up before I could get in a smart reply. I put my phone away and stood up. When had Chad not behaved himself? Gee, the time when he stole my yogurt, the one where he almost kissed me in that sketch… the list goes on and on…and on…

"Okay, sorry about that," I told Casey, who stood up and tucked the paper under his arm. "I had to take it or else something bad will happen to me. It always does," I muttered, tacking that last bit on after some after-thought.

"So," Casey conversationally as we began walking again. "Was that your boyfriend? Big famous Hollywood guy?" he asked, blushing slightly.

I shook my head. "Nope," I said. "I don't have a boyfriend at the moment. But yeah, I guess you could say he is a big star." In his head, at least.

"Oh," Casey said.

"Mhmm. Chad Dylan Cooper. He and his cast work in the building connected to ours. He and I have an on and off enemy relationship. Currently, it's in between. And it is so exhausting." I commented. Casey nodded.

"Understandable," he said. "At least I think I understand." Poor guy, he sounded confused.

"And besides, Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't seem like the type of guy for you."

"Oh?" I asked, having a hunch of what was coming. I had the perfect reply that would send him stuttering.

"Yeah. You need a guy who is kind, caring, and does not use his girlfriend for publicity. Specifically, someone non-famous."

Bingo. And now for the perfect reply: "Okay. I'll keep my eyes open for someone that fits that description."

"T-t-that wasn't what I-oh, never mind," he said. I grinned. Success.

"Anyway," I said, eager to change the subject, "how much further?" Casey recovered.

"It's right over there." He pointed to large hole in the road, a few hundred yards away. Several flags surrounded the hole.

"Is that so people don't fall in?" I asked him. I was surprised when he laughed. "What?"

"Sonny, that big hole is the ice cream slash café place. There are stairs on the other side that lead down to it," Casey said, grinning at me.

Sure enough, when I got closer I was able to see that there were several brightly colored tables with umbrellas, crowded with people drinking beverages and eating colored ice cream with their friends and family.

"Wow," I breathed. "This is so cool!" I squealed. "Let's go," I told him, pulling on his arm to get to the staircase. He laughed and ran after me.

After that, just imagine upbeat music playing in the background while Casey took me on a tour of New York, from the Statue of Liberty to Grand Central Station to the Empire State Building. You name it, we saw it.

As the imaginary music comes to a close, Casey and I jump out of a taxi and come to a stop in front of his studio. I wait patiently while he gets the keys out of his shorts pocket. He was even a gentleman and held the door open for me.

I walked wearily up the stairs and paused to shout over my shoulder at Casey who went into the kitchen.

"I'm calling my mom and then I will come help," I yelled.

Casey's reply was muffled a bit. "Nah, that's okay. We're just having take out. Famous New York Chinese takeout," he said, his voice being easier to hear as he opened the door to the kitchen and waved his hand around. A blue menu was in it.

"Preferences?" he asked, coming all the way out of the door.

"Sesame chicken. And fried rice," I told him, going into my room. He shook his head wonderingly. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I might have also imagined the reflection in the mirror across from the doorway that showed Casey looking at my retreating figure longingly before the door swung shut.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," I said. "How's Wisconsin?"

"Oh, honey, same old, same old. How is New York? I want to hear all about it," she said excitedly.

"Mom, it's amazing. The guy I'm staying with is amazing. And adorable. I helped him teach a toddler art class, it was the best thing I have done in like, forever," I gushed.

"Guy? Sonny, you gave me the impression that Tawni's cousin was a girl. Your age," she said. I imagined her sitting at the kitchen table back home, twirling her hair and sipping a cup of coffee, filled with worry.

"Mom, it's no big deal. I didn't know either until I showed up at the studio looking at him. Anyway, I have to go, we ordered takeout and it should be here soon," I told her.

"All right." My mom sighed wistfully. "But call again soon," she told me.

"I promise, Mom. As soon as I can. I love you."

"Bye, Sonny, love you too." I hung up and went to go see if the Chinese was here.

But Casey or the food was nowhere to be seen. I walked over to the stairs to see if I could peer over the edge and notice if Casey was there. I couldn't see him, but I heard him. He was talking to someone. I hoped it was the Chinese Delivery guy, and I didn't want him to carry it all himself, so I slid down the slide.

But it was not the deliveryman Casey was talking to. He was on the phone, his back towards me as he brushed his hands delicately over the paintings in the corner, probably testing to see if they were dry.

I was about to go and head back upstairs when I heard my name.

"Yeah, Sonny is an amazing roommate. I can tell we will get along great." I smiled to myself and walked up the stairs. And stopped when I heard my name again.

"I don't know man, she's really cool. And cute. But I don't think she even thinks of me like that, and besides, it's only her first day here. She hasn't even been her a full day yet. Give it some time." I could barely stand breathing, afraid that I would miss something.

The voice on the other end spoke, but I could not make it out.

Casey spoke again. "All right. See you then, dude. Later," he hung up and turned towards the door, where I saw the delivery guy walking up towards the studio entrance.

I scurried upstairs and plopped on the couch, with what I was sure a guilty look covering my face.

Casey came up a few minutes later with a bag of Chinese food. He set it down on the glass table.

"I'm ready when you are," he said, pulling out two pairs of chopsticks. I sighed and tried to wipe the guilty look of my face.

"I am totally ready. But be warned that I am the chopstick queen," I said smugly.

"That's good. I totally suck at using these things. But if that's the way you want to play it, then fine," he said, grabbing a fork.

"Fine," I said. I stopped. I could not do this. I would not be reminded of Chad while I was here with Casey. I hadn't meant to say it, honestly. It just popped out.

But Casey being Casey didn't notice my lack of speech and plopped down on the couch beside me.

"Okay, here's how it works. I have eaten takeout ever since I moved in on this table. And I have never gotten food on the white carpet, the glass table, or the red couch. So I continue to eat in here. But…." He said, half teasingly, half seriously, "if you get any food any where, you are in big trouble." I laughed.

"You got it," I said, reaching for a carton of Sweet and Sour Chicken.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence and heavenly chicken, I spoke. "So, you might suck at using chopsticks," I said, gesturing at his weak attempt to pick up a piece of broccoli from the container of fried rice. "But how are your Mario Kart skills?"

He grinned. "Oh, it's on," he said. And boy, was it ever.

* * *

It was nearing nine when I sighed and sat down on the couch, careful to avoid the empty takeout containers. I was exhausted.

"So. I won every game except for three," I told him. "I'm starting to think you're not good at anything." I grinned slyly.

"Not true," Casey protested.

"Okay, I am beat," I said. "And I feel disgusting. I need to shower. Again." As soon as those words came out of my mouth, I blushed.

Casey didn't seem to mind. "No problem. Get a good night's sleep. And be up by ten or else no breakfast," he taunted me.

"No problem," I said, mimicking him. " I used to get up at five at my farm in Wisconsin, so ten is nothing." He nodded and I went into my room to shower.

When I came out, I was in comfy flannel PJ pants that were green and pink plaid with a matching pink tank top. My hair was blown dry and put into a high ponytail.

I planned to say goodnight to Casey and tell him when my classes were. I had received a text while I was in the shower with my schedule and had promptly forwarded it to my mom.

Except Casey was nowhere to be found. I even knocked on his bedroom door. No answer.

The last room that I checked was the one next to mine- the game room. But it too, was empty. I was about to give up and head back into my room when I remembered that there was a fire escape connecting to the game room. So I walked over to the black curtain covering the wall across from me and gently pulled it open.

There, with his back to me, was Casey. His black hair flopped adorably across his face as he bent over an easel set up on the balcony. He reached next to him and pulled a paintbrush from a can off the floor.

I silently eased open the door and stepped outside in my bare feet. The balcony creaked slightly as I put my weight onto it. I squeezed my eyes shut. So much for being quiet.

But Casey didn't turn around. He didn't even stop painting.

"It's gorgeous isn't it?" At first, I thought he was talking about his painting. While I was getting over the shock of how big of an ego my roommate had, I realized he had been talking about the view that the balcony provided.

I breathed out. "Wow. That is incredible," I said.

The skyscrapers and busy streets were lit up, even though the sky was pitch-black, with a faint dotting of stars. I heard cars and taxis in the distance, and a billboard was lit up down the street. I hear laughter and yelling. It was all new to me. And I loved it.

I stepped up silently behind Casey to admire his painting. It was the scene before me, and it was really good. It captured the excitement and activity of the Big Apple at night just using paint and canvas.

"That's really good," I told him. "It captures the night perfectly."

For the first time since I entered he looked up, shaking his head slightly to get the hair out of his eyes.

"Thanks," he said honestly.

"You know," I began. 'I overheard you on the phone earlier." _Stop, Sonny, stop!_

"I didn't mean to," I said quickly, wishing I would shut up now. "I was coming down to see if the delivery guy was here, and I kinda walked into your conversation."

Casey didn't react badly. He simply stared at me, a slight blush creeping onto his tan cheeks.

"What did you hear?" he asked.

"Well," I began. "Do you really think I'm cute?" I teased him, lightly punching his arm. The light blush became a full-on tomato color.

"I can't believe you heard that," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said hurriedly. "I honestly didn't mean to."

"That's okay," he said quickly, sensing my guilt.

"But do you really think that?" I asked, turning all serious.

"Yeah," he said, just as serious, standing up and walking over to the railing of the balcony. "I do." Oh man.

I walked over to him and laid a hesitant hand on his hand resting on the balcony. "That's good," I told him honestly. "Because I would hate for my feelings for you to only be one-sided." I looked up at him to find him staring at me curiously.

The next thing I knew, we were leaning towards each other. His arms folded around me, encasing me in his strong arms. His warm body pressed against mine as he started to kiss me softly, gently, eagerly.

As I walked back to my room in a daze, I remembered- I hadn't even told him my schedule.

* * *

A/N- review please- feel free to tell me what you want in the story, b/c i have no idea what to do now!!! and if you want your name in my story, lemme know and i will include it....


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I woke up, last night's events a blur. I sat up and turned to the window, where bright sunlight was pouring in. I stumbled over to lift up the blinds.

"Oh!" I gasped out loud, as the sun hit my face and blinded me. That was when I remembered what I did last night.

I groaned. What had I done? Yeah, I liked Casey, but now it would be awkward. I was his roommate for crying out loud! Oh well, noting could be done now.

I walked back over to my bed to pull up the covers and I glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty. I had woken up early. But why?

A clang and a boom came from downstairs in the studio. Oh. That's why.

I dressed as I replied to my mom's message about my schedule and hurried down the slide to the studio as I tied my hair up.

"Morning," Casey said to me as he attempted to put some tin cans filled with brushes on a high shelf above his row of canvases. He jumped to try and set them down. But, he failed miserably and ducked as the can plummeted towards the ground and sprayed brushes all over the floor. Again.

"Aw, man!" he said, and bent down to pick up the brushes.

"Here," I said, as I walked over to the other side of the room and grabbed the stool that was leaning against the wall.

"Thanks," he said. "I couldn't have seen that twenty minutes ago," he complained lightly as he stood on the stool and successfully placed the cans on the shelf.

I laughed. "That's the way karma works. Oh, by the way, I got my schedule. I start on Monday at the theater on Seventeenth Street. I am taking acting classes from eleven to one and then I will do some minor performances from two to three or two to four, depending on the day. I get Fridays off," I informed him.

He smiled. "That's cool."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess. So anyway, I was heading out. Did you need anything?" I asked him as I started to walk upstairs for my jacket.

"Um nope. Why are you heading out?" he called after me.

I slid down the slide laughing, jacket in hand. "What are you, my mother? And if you must know, I am going for breakfast and then to the little market thingy we passed yesterday for some stuff. I am making dinner tonight. No excuses," I said as I walked out the door. I heard him laugh as the door to the studio swung shut behind me. Phew. Step one was complete. Now for step two.

I walked aimlessly down the streets, trying not to look like a tourist that has never seen a city before, but failing, as I stared at every little thing. I had no idea where I was going, but I would know when I got there. I also knew I would probably get lost, but I had a map stored in the back pocket of my jeans if I needed it. It was fairly cool in New York today, for a sunny Saturday morning in the beginning of summer, so I was decked out in a pair of jean flares, bright yellow flip flops, and a tight-fitting yellow t-shirt. My short sleeve jean jacket was slung over my arm and my cool designer sunglasses (thank you sponsors of _So Random_!) were on my eyes, shielding them from the very strong rays of New York sun. The breeze that was turning 85 degree weather into 75-degree weather came through again and I shivered. And walked right past where I wanted to go. The entrance of Central Park.

It was amazing at ten in the morning. Women in Under Armor t-shirts and shirts were jogging in packs with headphones. People were bicycling and babies slept soundly in strollers as their parents walked together. Dogs trotted in front of their owners and tugged on the leash when their owner stopped to talk to someone passing by with their own child or dog.

Street vendors lined the walkway and shouted as people walked by. I walked to up to one vendor who was selling pastries.

"Can I help you, dear?" the lady asked. She was about 70 or so, her hair gray, but long and curly. Kind brown eyes completed the look.

"Oh, yes, um, I will try the vanilla lemon muffin please." The lady handed me a muffin.

"Three dollars," she said. Just then, a child that looked to be about ten ran up to her.

"Grandma, Grandma, Grandma! Look at her!" the girl screamed as she jumped up and down, yet managing to cling to her grandmother's leg.

"Cecilia, hold on for a second. Grandma is working," the lady told the girl patiently and collected the three dollar bills I handed to her.

"But Grandma, look! It's Sonny! From _So Random_!" Cecilia pointed at me again and started to jump up and down again.

The lady looked closer at me. "Why yes, dear, I do believe it is. But don't act like a chimp, you'll scare her off."

I laughed.

"Will you sign an autograph for me?" the girl asked me, holding out a napkin and a pen. I nodded.

"Here you go," I told her as I handed the napkin back to her.

"Gee, thanks!" Cecilia said as she bounded off towards a group of girls waiting by a tree.

The grandmother shook her head. "I apologize for my granddaughter. Her parents are nature photographers and they travel a lot, and her nanny just retired, so I invited her to stay for the summer. She has never been to New York, but we see celebrities here all the time."

"That's okay, I'm used to it. And it's really no big deal," I said, taking a bite of my muffin. "This is delicious by the way," I told her. "I am totally coming back tomorrow."

The lady nodded. "Good. I appreciate it, they are all homemade," she told me and waved as I turned back with my muffin and started walking down the sidewalk again.

I passed a coffee vendor and ordered a latte, sipping it carefully as I walked through the park.

"Heads up!" someone shouted and I ducked down, slopping my latte all over my t-shirt. Shoot.

I glanced up, still squatting on the ground, in time to see a bright green Frisbee whiz through the air right where my head had been not five seconds before.

"Oh gosh, I am so, so sorry!" a girl said as she rushed towards me. She was a little older than me, not quite 5 and a half feet, decked out in black converse, short, paint-splattered jean shorts, and a white tank top over top of a neon pink one. Her hair was black with pink and blue streaks. It was really short and spiked, accenting her sharp, yet feminine features and striking green eyes.

I stood up. "No big," I said. "I can change later. Stain stick will get the stain out."

The girl bent down to retrieve the Frisbee and came jogging back to me.

"Seriously, I am so sorry. I know my bro has bad aim, but I didn't expect it to be this bad." She gestured over to her brother, maybe about ten, with the same black hair. They could have been twins, except for the eyes. Her brother's eyes were a calm brown and he wore Vans shoes, khaki shorts, and a plain gray tee.

She then pointed a few feet to the right of me where a little Yorkie was sitting and waiting patiently. I'm guessing that was his target.

"I'm Monica. But people call me Nikki. I go to the NYC School for the Arts and I perform on Broadway sometimes. My brother over there is Cam. He's a seventh grader at the school a few blocks away. And this," she said, stooping down to pick up the Yorkie that had trotted over, "is Minnie. She acts like a total princess most of the time, but is the best-trained dog you will ever meet. We were training her for an upcoming show when Cam here decided to take off some poor bystander's head."

I smiled. Nikki reminded me of Lucy, who made sure everyone knew everything there was to know about her, even if they did not know her, or have just met her.

"I'm Sonny," I said, extending my hand. Nikki nodded.

"I know. But it's nice to meet you." We shook hands.

"So. I'll guess I'll see you around?" I asked. "I will also be going to the NYC School, starting on Monday, so I guess I'll see you there. Maybe you could show me around?"

Nikki nodded. "I'd love to. Meet me in front of the auditorium. We have a weekly meeting every Monday, so I'll sit with you and then give you a tour. Later," she said, jogging off towards her brother, Frisbee under one arm and Minnie under the other.

I walked off, thinking just how weird New York was, when I walked into a tree. Ouch. I was just shaking my head to clear it of the swarm of stars and flying bird when I saw…lightning? Oh no, not lightning, a camera flash from a photographer. They were everywhere. How could they have found me so quick?

I gave the photographer a scowl before walking off in the other direction, so I could leave the park, go to back to the studio, and find a pack of ice for the rock-sized bump on my head.

"What happened to you?" Casey asked, trying not to laugh when I came down the slide half an hour later, with an ice pack on my head.

He was teaching an adult class, and the adults were all painting a basket of fruit on a table in the front of the room, but I could tell they were all trying to eavesdrop.

I pulled him into a corner. "I kinda walked into a tree," I explained. "Do not laugh," I warned him, seeing that his composure was about to crack. "I was distracted."

Casey smiled. "Okay. When I'm done with this class at one, do you wanna grab some lunch?'"

"Yeah, that'd be great," I said. I sighed and closed my eyes, slouching down in the corner. But not before Casey gently pressed his lips against the bump on my forehead. Oh man, what had I gotten myself into?

*****

"So this has the best pizza around," Casey told me as I dug into a spinach and tomato pie. It _was_ good.

I nodded. "It's excellent," I reassured him as I polished off my third and final slice.

"I hope you saved room for the dessert, 'cause they have some pretty good ice cream, too."

I giggled. "Sure, why not?" I asked. The waitress came by and I ordered a mint chocolate ice cream cone.

When it came, I dug in. Maybe a little to eagerly, because when I was about halfway into it, Casey started laughing at me.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

"You have ice cream all over your mouth," he said. I blushed.

"It's okay," he told me. "I did that the first time I tasted their ice cream."

And before I could stop him, Casey leaned across the table and kissed me, wiping my lips free of any lingering ice cream, I'm sure. I blushed again; trying to ignore the photographer I could see off to my right. I would not give the reporter any reactions, so that he could write anything unnecessary in whatever paper he worked for.

Little did I know that it was already going to be bad enough.

*****

"What is this?"

I had picked up the phone the next morning without looking at the Caller ID. Boy, was that a mistake.

"Chad, what are you talking about?"

"Sonny, I am talking about this morning's _Tween Weekly._"

Oh no.

I had to ask, though. "What are you talking about?" I asked him again.

"I am talking about the front cover. What are you doing on it? Much less with an unknown guy!?"

I had to bite back a smile. "Chad does it bother you?" I asked him, with a smile clear in my voice.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Everyone knows _I_ belong on the cover, not some _Random _with their new guy of the week."

"Oh, so you're not jealous of the guy. You're jealous of me being on the cover," I said slowly, trying not to laugh.

"Yes. I mean no. No, I'm not jealous of you. Chad Dylan Cooper is not jealous of anyone."

"Sure," I said. "Yet you are really upset over me kissing some guy. And it ending up on the cover of _Tween Weekly_."

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny. I am not upset, or jealous. I am mad that you are on the cover. You do not deserve to be on the cover," he said.

This time I could not help it. I laughed.

"Admit it, Chad, it bothers you. Remember four little letters? Just like your name? Well this time, I had another guy. And you know what? He's a good kisser."

Chad was rendered speechless.

(A/N- review, guys, review! I need more reviews to put up the next chapter!! Lemme know what you wanna see in the next chapters...any suggestions would be welcome!!!!)


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: IMPORTANT! If you normally don't read authors notes, read this one….

**If I get enough reviews, I will post pics up of things in the story, like who I think would be the best Casey and Nikki, pics of outfits, cars, and scenes… and review, even if you don't want pics, b/c if I don't get enough, I don't post!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

I had graciously hung up to save Chad from thinking up a snappy comeback. And because I had to shower before going off to the park for my breakfast. Hmm, I might have to turn this into a daily ritual…

I slapped my alarm clock as I stepped out of my bathroom with a towel wrapped around me and my wet hair. I had forgotten to turn it off so it blared annoyingly until I got out of the shower. But it would not stop. So I reached down to unplug it. And immediately retracted my hand. Note to self: never unplug an appliance with wet hands.

I would have to go out and buy myself a new alarm clock as soon as I dried my hair and my hand stopped tingling, so I grabbed my phone, typed in a reminder, and was about to push the button to put it to sleep when I noticed I had a text.

_**Sonny, I just saw **_**Tween Weekly.** _**I cannot believe u r dating my cousin! So gross. Anywho, I just wanted 2 warn u that CDC is threatening the world he will take revenge on u 4 stealing the spotlight again. And I just bought this new dress for a date tonight; I am going 2 look amazing! OK, getting off topic. The real reason 4 this text was to tell u 2 let Casey know I will be coming down with my sister in a few days. **_

_**Tawni 3**_

_**(haha do u c what I did there? Tawni Hart? Get it? I am so smart!)**_

She is quite the character.

I quickly texted her back and went to go finish getting ready for my last school free day for a week.

Tawni, I loved the heart, it was soooo cute. And u just tell Chad that he cannot scare me away, and that he is going to get it. I will tell Casey about you visiting… I never knew u had a sister? And yeah, im sure you will manage to look great on ur date.

_**P.S. Casey and I aren't officially dating. Yet. **_

By eleven, I had blown my hair dry and had braided it into two pigtails that hung perfectly over my shoulders, put on a pink _So Random_, So Cute t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I had also put on my favorite cowgirl boots, but, deciding I looked way too much like Tawni's date with Hayden gone wrong, I switched the boots for Nikes and the pigtails for a single French Braid down my back.

I had also thrown my phone and wallet into my short's pockets and accessorized with lip-gloss and an anklet.

I was down the stairs (I could use the exercise) and outside on my way to Central Park by 11:30.

By quarter to twelve, I was approaching the same pastry vendor as yesterday. This time the granddaughter Cecilia was working, while her grandmother was off talking to someone, so I walked up warily.

"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked, looking up. I saw her eyes light up, but her voice remained steady.

"Oh, I don't know, surprise me," I said, smiling. Cecilia's eyes grew even bigger as she crouched down and dug around in the storage cooler.

"Here you are," she said. "I invented this one myself, it's a cherry-raspberry scone with honey glaze. And it's only four dollars," she told me proudly.

"All right, sounds delicious." And sugary. I handed her the money just as her grandmother came back.

"Thanks for taking over the store, Cecilia." She turned and winked at me. "I knew if she really wanted to work in New York, she'd have to get used to celebrities so I left her in charge for awhile," she confided to me as Cecilia skipped away to go throw bagel pieces at the pigeons.

I laughed. "She did a very good job. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with disaster."

"Oh, I saw that article today. Is it true?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately, the press manages to find me wherever I go, and this time was no different. But hey, what can I do?"

She nodded sympathetically. "By the way, my name is Pearl. And good luck with your, um, issue."

"Thanks. And it is nice to finally know your name, Pearl." We shook hands and I walked back to the studio.

I was halfway up the stairs when I realized I had yet to see Casey. He's a guy, he's bound to show up sometime, right?

But it wasn't until seven that night, when I was already in my cozy pajamas and cooking spaghetti that I finally saw him.

"Thank you," he said wearily, dropping down onto the couch. I had propped the kitchen door open and was watching TV, while stirring a pot of sauce. He was dressed casually, with a chest-hugging t-shirt and ripped jeans. His hair was a mess, like he had just rolled out of bed.

"What happened to you?" I asked him, reaching over the stove to stir my pasta.

"Didn't I tell you? I work in the church on Sundays for homeless people then go to the gym. Sundays are my no-work days."

I shook my head. "You failed to mention that. But," I said, pointing the spoon at him for emphasis, careful not to drip salt and oil on the floor, "Tawni and her sister, did you even know she had a sister? Because I sure didn't, and I'm getting off track. They are coming soon for a few days."

"Oh well, speaking of failing to mention stuff. And yes, I did know she had a sister, she's my cousin. Um, sure tell her that would be cool, but don't expect me to be babysitting her and entertaining her like last time."

I laughed. "Are you kidding me? Tawni always needs someone to entertain her, if she's not learning lines or putting on makeup…" I trailed off.

"Okay, touché. And usually she brings her sister, Tami. But last time she came, Tami had to go to some shelter or something, and could not take time off of work to come down with her sister."

Wow, it sounded like Tami and Tawni were complete opposites. Tawni had never worked in her life, and would never, ever dream of doing something nice just to do it.

When my alarm beeped at eight thirty Monday morning, I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. Till noon. Casey and I had watched movies until well after eleven, just talking and laughing, like two normal people, and now I did not want to get out of bed. But I had to, in order to make my eleven o'clock classes and meet up with Nikki.

I crawled out slowly, not wanting to open my blinds and feel the heat of the morning New York sun. The air was on in the room, and my thermometer read 75. Outside, it was already 80. It was going to be hot today.

That did not stop me from cracking my blinds, changing from my pjs to an UnderArmor tank top and shorts, tying back my hair, putting on my Nikes, and going for a jog to Central Park to get my breakfast and back.

It was nearing nine thirty when I got back to the studio. I was sweating, my hair was frizzy from the humidity and body sweat, my feet hurt, but I was satisfied. Pearl and I had talked while I was eating my breakfast, and I got to know a little more about New York, Pearl, and Cecilia. I had also not run into any trees on my run, so I was kind of happy about that too.

I made my way up the stairs, to find that Casey was still not up. So, as I got into the shower, I tried to be quiet, flinching at every loud sound I made, including when I dropped my cell phone and my book on the bathroom floor. Stupid klutziness.

It was ten by the time I got out of the shower, so I figured I had a bit of time. I was still not completely up, so I went into the kitchen, clad in a bathrobe and cow slippers, to make myself a cup of coffee, when I passed Casey's room. The door was open, the bed was made, and he was nowhere to be found.

"Casey?" I called out loudly. No reply. I grabbed my cup of coffee, went into my room, changed into an outfit both appropriate for class and the weather: a white sundress with a silver choker and black Converse. I straightened my hair and put some sparkly eye shadow and lip-gloss on, grabbed my bag, and locked the studio door on my way out, hoping to God that Casey had his key. Or else I would be dead when I got home, if Casey didn't die from starvation since he couldn't get into his studio, along with several other of his students from his art classes.

I walked into the school at quarter till. I had almost missed my subway and then had to unceremoniously run to catch it. But other than that, I had done pretty well. I hadn't gotten lost or anything.

I picked up my map that a lady in the office handed to me and I made my way to the auditorium.

Nikki was waiting for me, as promised. She looked really different then she did at the park. Today she was decked out in a white polo and a denim mini skirt. Her hair was still spiked, but she wore a pair of flip-flops on her feet instead of her Converse. I noticed she had piercings in her ears, three on the top, all filled with different colored studs and one on the bottom, with silver hoops. She wore lip gloss, a silver and pink choker, and a henna tattoo of a Chinese symbol on her ankle.

"I love your outfit!" we said at the same time as I approached her. We both laughed, and walked into the auditorium.

An hour later, Nikki led me out of the auditorium. My head was still buzzing with all the info the principal had just piled on the students.

"Okay, so I am in your first class, which is voice. Then you have acting 101, which is on the second floor, in one of the classrooms with the stage, I wanna say room 223. I am in your third class, Improv, which I will get wait outside your second class for to take you, because it's really hard to find. The fourth class is right down the hall from Improv, for you it is Studio Arts and Techniques. Lunch is at noon in the cafeteria, just wait for me outside, I have Studio Arts on the third floor, so you may have to wait a little while. And don't worry, they have salad bars, pizza (the good kind), um subs, anything you could possibly want. After that, it looks like you have your academic classes, in order, Math and Science, History, then English. Your last class will be Dance, which is on the first floor all the way at the other side of the building in dance studio E." Nikki finally came up for air. I grinned.

"Thanks, Nikki," I said, walking lazily towards the end of the hallway.

"Um, Sonny?"

"Yeah?"

"It's this way," Nikki laughed, turning, and running into someone at the same time.

"Ugh, watch it, Nick," said the person, who turned around at the same time she did.

Oh man. This guy was really good looking, with blonde hair and natural dark highlights. He had dark brown eyes and wore a casual outfit of jeans with shredded holes and a baby blue polo. A pair of navy Converse completed the look, making him almost unbearable to look at. Okay, I was exaggerating. Maybe.

Nikki, obviously immune to his good looks, snapped a reply. "Why don't _you_ watch it, Miller?"

"Miller" grinned and nodded a hello at me. Nikki pulled me down the hall to our first class right as the bell rang, signaling we had two minutes to get into the class.

Voice class was on the third floor unfortunately, so we had to sprint to make it.

But, luck for us the teacher was not present. So, we just sat around the two large and long tables in the back of the room talking. Nikki was propped on top of the table and I had chosen to sit in one of the few stools in the room.

A group of kids were modeling in the front while others took pictures, one group was singing pop music from Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, and others were scribbling in notebooks.

"Lyrics," Nikki whispered to me. Wow, this was so cool. I would definitely not mind going to public school.

"Okay, so spill," I said to Nikki. "Who was that gorgeous guy?" She made a face.

"Who, Daniel? Ew, he is so not gorgeous. Is he?" I nodded enthusiastically.

"And besides, I thought you were already dating?" She made the comment sound like a question.

"How do you know about that? I didn't even realize you knew who I was!" I said, a little too loudly. Heads turned and the singers quieted down. I blushed.

"Oh, come _on_, mind your own beeswax, people!" Nikki said loudly. They went back to what they were doing as I still spluttered indignantly. "Sonny, of course I know who you are. The whole _school_ probably knows who you are; they'd be oblivious if they didn't."

I tried to close my open mouth. "Oh, that changes things, I guess. I automatically assume if people don't run towards me screaming and waving paper, they don't know who I am."

It was then that the teacher came in. She was a modernized librarian: she had muddy brown hair that was not tied in a tight bun, but in a messy one on top of her head, she wore glasses, but they were rectangular and turquoise that showed off her deep chocolate eyes, and wore a jean skirt, white sandals, and a light pink blouse.

"Okay, guys, batter up! We got an invite to the Yankees game next week to sing the national anthem. Sign ups are outside the door, make sure you give me money for a ticket if you're going!" she announced as she walked in the room.

I immediately liked her, I could tell she was going to be a great teacher; her voice was not too loud, but loud enough and had enough authority in it to make everyone stop what they were doing and scramble towards the tables for a seat, despite her casual, yet flirty, and not at all teacher-like appearance, she was respected by the class.

The kids clapped and a good portion of them filed outside to sign up. The teacher walked up to me and held out her hand.

"Sonny, it's an honor and pleasure to meet you and have you in my class, I'm Ms Dyer. If you have any questions, just ask." She smiled at me then turned and walked to the front of the room. "Guys, let's go, we only have half an hour, and this week is musicals!" A cheer rose up from the people in the room.

A guy shouted. "Ohhhh!" A girl chimed in, singing in harmony.

Another girl and guy sang. "Klaaaaa!"

This time two girls joined in "Homaaaaaa!" We all laughed as Ms Dyer nodded.

"Exactly. Who wants to help pass these out?" She held up a stack of sheet music for the musical _Oklahoma_.

A few kids raised their hands and in a few minutes, we were all standing up, waving our arms, and belting out the finale song from _Oklahoma. _

I waited outside the cafeteria for Nikki, just like she told me to, when I spotted Daniel Miller. I tried not stare when I noticed he was with a pretty girl. She was laughing and hugging him around they waist as he fake-struggled and laughed.

As he came nearer, I was able to identify the girl who was with him- Nikki. Doesn't think he's cute, huh?

I casually sidled up to Nikki's side, who was currently putting Daniel in a headlock. "So, what's goin' on with you, Nikki. Anything you wanna tell me?" I asked.

She looked over at me and grinned. "Hey Sonny, what do you mean, anything I want to tell you? Are you feeling okay?" She looked at me curiously while Daniel walked over to the lunch line.

"Okay, what gives? I thought you said Daniel wasn't cute!" I exclaimed, following her to a lunch table in the far corner of the cafeteria.

Nikki wrinkled her nose. "I did. And I still stand by that. Why?"

"Well then why were you hanging around him and flirting?" I asked, feeling _very_ confused.

Nikki laughed. "He's my cousin. My last name is Miller. My uncle paid for this school, which is one of the reasons I was even considered for this school in the first place. Cam comes here for the second half of the school day for acting classes, and my uncle had to pay the principal of the junior high extra just to squeeze all the necessary classes into three hours so he could come over here for the afternoon."

I felt very stupid. "Oh," I said. "So I should be extra nice to you in case I get into trouble with the principal?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood and erase the blush on my cheeks. Nikki laughed again.

"Um, no. The principal has made it very clear to me that my friends and I will not escape punishment. The second week into the school year last year I got into trouble. Like, _major_ trouble." Her face went blank as she recalled the memory and she slowly smiled, turning slightly to look at something.

I followed her gaze to an okay-looking boy across the cafeteria. He had a strong build, dark straight hair that was spiked up in the front and a bored expression on his face. A girl was clinging to him from the side, your stereotypical high school cheerleader, hair so blonde it looked white, pure blue eyes, over-lip glossed lips, teeth so white it hurt to look at them, a salon-tanned body, mascara, blush, the whole make-up bit, and an outfit that looked like it just passed school requirements.

"Who's that guy?" I asked.

"Justin McCaferty. Football player. The clingy girl is Amanda, his girlfriend and captain of the cheer squad. She looks the part, doesn't she?" she added, reading my mind.

I nodded. "Definitely. What happened?"

"Let's just say that it involved screaming, hitting upside the head, karate and ninja moves that would outdo Jackie Chan, a lost football game, and Justin. Oh, and detention for a week," Nikki tacked on as an afterthought.

I grinned and took a bite of my sandwich that I made last night. Just as the bell rang.

"Oops, I'm sorry. I talked so much that you didn't get to eat. Here, gimme your schedule." Nikki motioned impatiently. I handed over my schedule. Nikki proceeded to tell me I could take my lunch with me to my class right after lunch, since the teacher was really nice and didn't mind stuff like that.

And all was fine- until my last period, dance. I walked into the studio, where the teacher directed me to the girl locker rooms. The other girls in my class were really nice, showing me an empty locker and the rack of extra dance stuff, since I didn't have mine.

Mondays were hip-hop, they told me, and handed me a pair of rolled up sweat pants, jazz shoes, and a t-shirt. I had to pull my hair back and remove all jewelry.

I walked out onto the hard wood floor with the other girls, where guys were waiting, already changed into t-shirts, sneakers, and baggy shorts. They really got into the mood here, apparently.

The teacher paired us up- the assignment was to complete a dance to the assigned music with a partner of the opposite gender, then perform it for a grade by the end of the class.

Unfortunately, my partner had to be Daniel Miller. Dance was the only class I had with him, apparently, and my luck got me partnered up with him.

Yeah, he could dance (I had scouted him out during warm up), and so could I, since I took classes when I was littler, but I would not be able to concentrate on dancing with him as my partner.

So when the teacher instructed us to go to a separate area in the studio (which, just so you know, was humongous) with our partners and she came over to give us our song, I could not stop staring at Daniel.

"So. I'm Daniel. You're Nick's friend, right?" he asked. I shook my head slightly to focus.

"Um, yeah. You look nothing like her," I blurted out, mentally kicking myself.

"Thanks," he replied, grinning. "She looks like her mom, but I'm related to her through her dad."

I nodded thoughtfully as the teacher came over, quietly since her jazz shoes muted her footsteps.

"All right, you two. Pick a piece of paper from the hat, on it will be your song. Make it good," she said over her shoulder as she walked to the barre for the next group to pick a song.

I unrolled the piece of paper I had drawn. "Oh boy," I commented. Daniel tried to peer over my shoulder.

"It's _Get Low_ by Lil' Jon," I told him. Daniel's face broke into a grin.

"I love that song! This dance has got to be amazing."

I agreed.

"Okay, Nick's friend, can you dance?"

I spluttered indignantly. "My name is Sonny, not Nick's friend. And of course I can dance. Yes, real hip-hop," I added, as Daniel opened his mouth to comment.

He nodded, satisfied. "Show me what you got, Sonny." I walked over to the locker room, took my laptop out of my bag, and brought it back to where Daniel was waiting.

I typed something in and _Get Low _played from the speakers.

I made my dance up as I went along, but I think it was pretty good.

"Not bad." Daniel said as I finished. "I think we could work with that."

The class clapped and whistled as Daniel and I body rolled into the final note and took a bow.

He hugged me and I smiled. "Good job, I don't think I will mind being your partner again," he said and walked away to the group of guys sitting that had already performed.

When I found Nikki talking with Cam outside the school, I went up to her.

"Oh my gosh, your cousin is amazing!" I told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Not you too," she said. "You need a ride?" A limo was pulling up to the front of the school.

"You're kidding me. That's your ride?" Cam laughed and hopped inside.

"You wonder why our uncle paid for this. You should see his house. Our parents work around the world as nature photographers, so we live with him while they are away. Normally, I drive a Mustang that he got me for my birthday, but now he's insisting he doesn't trust my driving on the busy streets of New York, and has had a limo pick up me and Cam for the past three weeks."

She hopped into the limo behind me. Cam had already turned on the TV and was skimming through channels, with a remote in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and a bag of Goldfish on his lap.

"Pig," Nikki commented as she reached across her brother to grab a tea for me, and soda for her. She told the drive my address and sat back on the seat, watching the channel Cam had finally chosen.

I thanked Nikki and the driver profusely as I climbed out of the limo.

Casey was in his studio bent over a table and an older woman's canvas, teaching private classes.

"Hey, you," he said, not getting up but smiling at me as I made my way through the door. "How was school?"

I laughed. "You sound like my mother."

I threw my books and bag down on the floor right next to the door.

I went straight to the kitchen, on a mission for a snack.

I stopped when I went through the swinging door and backed up a few steps.

A guy no older than twenty was lounging on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on his lap and sports on the television behind him. He had turned around and was staring at me. I sensed that he wasn't doing it to be disrespectful or curious, just because, well, he seemed to be waiting for something.

"Who are you?" I asked. The guy didn't answer; he just turned around to face the TV.

A few minutes later, when I had forgotten I had even asked him anything, the guy spoke. "Andrew."

* * *

**Don't forget to review after you're done reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Um, it's nice to meet you, I'm Sonny," I said warily. No response, so I went into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl of cherries that I had picked up at a market yesterday, and retreated to my room to do homework.

Blech, it was like normal public school all over again, we never had to do homework with any of the classes at the _So Random _Studio.

I was almost done with my historical timeline when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in!" I called, pausing my music on my laptop and removing an ear bud.

"Hey." It was Casey.

"What's up?" I asked. "And who is that dude who's in the living room? He seemed very rude, he did not say anything when I talked to him," I mused.

Casey rolled his eyes and chuckled. "That's 'cause he can't hear you."

"What do you mean he can't- Oh." I blushed. Casey laughed.

"Yep. Remember when I told you my old high school roommate would be coming today? That's him. I picked him up from the airport this morning, which is why I wasn't here."

That made sense. "Okay, so he's your old roommate? Did you have to learn sign language?"

"No. I already knew it, my cousin was deaf, so I learned it at an early age."

I nodded thoughtfully. "That would explain why he didn't answer me when I told him it was nice to meet him. But why did it take so long for him to answer when I asked him what his name was?"

"Oh, he was probably trying to figure out what you were saying to him, he can lip read, but not very well. It takes him a while, but he has a good memory, he can remember what the person looked like when talking to him and a few minutes later, he will tell you the answer to the question he formed in his mind. He became deaf after a car accident when he was ten, which is why he can speak so well, normally someone who is born deaf cannot talk very well, since they don't know what someone's voice sounds like," Casey said.

"Will you teach me?" I asked.

"What? Oh, sign language? Sure."

I put down my homework, glad for a distraction, as Casey sat on my bed next to me.

For the next half hour, he showed me the basics: hello, goodbye, it's nice to meet you, my name is Sonny, and the alphabet so I could spell anything I didn't know a sign for.

I went out to the living room, where Andrew was now reading.

Casey went up to him and Andrew glanced up as Casey started signing. He had told me what he was going to say beforehand so I could follow along.

_Andrew, this is Sonny, she's living with me for a while while she goes to school. _

Andrew looked over at me and signed the world for hello. I signed hello back to him and he looked over at Casey, surprised. He signed something and Casey shook his head.

For my benefit, he spoke what he was signing. _No, she doesn't know sign language, just the basics I just taught her._

I signed that it was nice meeting him. I turned to Casey. "Can you tell him I'm sorry to rudely leave, but I have homework to finish?" Casey nodded and complied.

Andrew nodded at me and I walked back into my room.

Tuesday morning was horrible. As I looked over at my calendar while wiggling into my Spandex, jogging shorts, and a T-shirt, I realized I still had three more days of school to endure.

Oh well, at least today (as well as Thursday) were the days where I only had two hours of classes and the rest was performance time in the theater across the street from school.

I had my Nikes slung across my arms and was lacing them up as I drank a glass of water when Andrew came into the kitchen, slightly bleary eyed, but presentable.

"Hi," he told me. I signed hello back to him, startled for a second that he could talk clearly, then I remembered that he knew how.

"Do you know the alphabet?" he asked. I nodded. "Watch carefully then and let me know if I go to fast." I nodded again.

_WHERE ARE YOU GOING?_ he signed to me. I signed back.

_FOR A JOG AND BREAKFAST. DO YOU WANT TO COME? _I asked him. He nodded as I finished tying my shoes.

I motioned to the stairs and he followed me. I turned as I held open the front door for him. _I USUALLY GO TO THE PARK FOR A PASTRY AND THEN JOG BACK._

"Okay," Andrew said. "Let's go." And we took off jogging.

I ordered lemon muffins for both of us and we had just sat down on a bench to eat when someone stopped in front of me.

"Fancy seeing you here." I looked up. Nikki was standing in front of me with a pair of jogging shorts, and an exercise bra. She had roller blades on her feet and Minnie was on a leash, trotting over to a bush.

I laughed. "Yep. Real fancy. I thought you would be sleeping in."

Now it was her turn to laugh. "I would be, but Cam is home sick and he usually walks the dog in the morning up and down the street. That was too boring, so I thought of the park. Who's your friend?" She smirked.

"Nikki this is Andrew. Casey's old roommate." I turned to Andrew who was looking at us with interest.

I signed quickly. _THIS IS MY FRIEND NIKKI. SHE SAYS HI._

Now it was Nikki's turn to look interested.

"Hi, Nikki, it's nice to meet you," Andrew said.

Nikki nodded and signed the same thing back, much to my surprise.

"I learned it in middle school. That was one of the language options," she told me. "Well, I better go, I still have to shower before school," she both signed and said.

"Bye," Andrew and I said in unison. I got up, Andrew following my lead.

"I have to go to. See you soon," I called over my shoulder as Andrew and I took off running again.

When we got back, it was later than I thought, Casey was already up, sitting and sipping coffee while reading a novel.

So I rushed through my shower, not bothering to blow dry my hair, instead, just putting it up into a messy, wet bun. I would pay for it later, but right now, with only twenty minutes until the bell, I did not care.

Based on my outfit today (cork flip flops, jean capri pants, a black tank top with a short sleeved white sweatshirt on top) and the time, I would not be walking to school.

I grabbed my bag and swiped on lip-gloss as I ran out the door, with a hurried goodbye to Casey and Andrew.

I tossed my bag, complete with several changes of clothes since I did not know what I was up against, in the passenger seat of my new car, and carefully backed into the busy street.

I got to school two minutes before the late bell and I ran to my first period, not caring if I was going to trip and fall. Or run into someone.

"Oof!" I said as I smacked into someone as I rounded the corner.

"Easy!" that someone said as they stuck their arms around me to prevent me from crashing to the floor. Oh great, it was Daniel. Now I would be known as a klutz.

"You might be good on your feet when dancing, but when running, you are a mess," he laughed as I steadied myself.

I laughed weakly. "Yeah." I started to walk away to my first period.

"Hey!" he called after me. "We work in groups of three for performing this afternoon. You wanna be in a group with me and Nikki?"

I turned and smiled. "Sure."

Lunch came and went, and then I was walking with Nikki outside and across the street to the performance hall/theater thing.

"Okay, listen up!" One of the teachers in charge, the singing coach, shouted to try and get our attention.

Almost all of the school had packed into the theater seats. Four teachers, representing each main arts group (singing, dancing, acting, and music), stood on the stage. One stepped forward.

"Hey! Listen up, NOW!" she yelled, without a microphone. Her voice went all the way to the back of the auditorium and rang in our ears. The auditorium was silent immediately.

"Acting teacher, Mrs. Beal," Nikki whispered in my ear. I nodded thoughtfully.

The dance teacher, Mr. Arnolds, took a microphone from the side of the stage.

"All right. You know the drill. Each group will get assigned a project. You will work with your team to finish the project to the best of your ability using all four major arts groups, singing, music, dancing, and acting. The project is due in two weeks and the number you draw today will be the order you go in. And away you go!"

All the students, who had obviously chosen groups before coming to school today, started to crowd around each one of the teachers who were now standing in the back of the auditorium. Nikki got pushed against me as Daniel came up behind me and slung his arms around our shoulders.

"Let's wait for the watering hole to run out of water before shoving aside the hungry beasts, shall we?" Daniel commented wryly. Nikki shoved away her cousin's arm, and unfortunately, making his other arm slip off _my_ shoulder.

Ten minutes later, half the school had already gone off to the rehearsal studios in the front of the theater, and I was reaching into the bag Mrs. Beal held out to me. Beside me, Nikki pulled a number from another bag. She groaned.

"Practice room fourteen. Which means, we are the fourteenth group to go," she told us as we exited the theater and walked down the empty hallway to find studio fourteen.

"And this is bad?" I asked.

"Very," Daniel told me. "There are approximately fifteen groups that perform each day for the school. By the tenth or eleventh group to go, the teachers are worn out. And, they are much harder on our grades. What was our project?"

I reached into pants pockets and extracted a sheet of folded paper. I opened it and read, "Wizard of Oz."

Nikki laughed. "Cool! I can feel the ideas coming already!"

Daniel stared at her. "Really?"

"No," she admitted. "But they will be."

We had reached the studio. The door was wooden with a glass window. A plague under the window read, _Studio 14._ The inside had a wooden floor with mirrors on the walls, just like a ballet studio. A sound system was in one corner with hand-free microphones propped up against it. Across from that, was a door, leading to a bath/changing room. I slipped inside the bathroom to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt and jazz shoes.

When I came out, Daniel and Nikki were sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, talking animatedly, wireless mics already on. I got my mic and went over.

"So," I said. "I've got an idea."

I had had a very good day. I was driving home from the food store that I had come upon while searching for a gas station. My group had made some progress on our school project and I could not wait to see Casey and tell him and Andrew about the project. As an added bonus, I was going to cook.

I walked into the studio around 3 o'clock, weighed down with several heavy bags of groceries. Casey, as always, was teaching an art class, this time of women. All pregnant. I gave him a look that clearly showed how crazy I thought he was and went to move towards the stairs.

Andrew came out of nowhere and reached for some of the bags. I shot him a grateful look and followed him up the stairs.

WHY WERE YOU DOWN THERE? LAST TIME I CHECKED, YOU WERE NOT A WOMAN, I spelled out. He laughed brightly.

"Yeah, and not an expecting mother. But it was better than being up here." He lowered his voice to a whisper. I didn't move as he took my bags of groceries into the kitchen. What did he mean, better than not being up here? There was so much too do up here.

I heard the sound of a piano playing. I turned to my right where the glass doors leading to the foyer were. I opened them, since I could not see through the blue curtains that were covering the glass from the other side.

A very pretty girl sat playing the piano, her back to me. Her hair was slightly wavy for the most part, and was pure blonde. She had on sweatpants and a tight-fitting t-shirt. I would know that hair anywhere, but the clothes? That was so not her.

"Tawni?" I called, knocking on the door to announce my arrival. The girl, still playing, turned at the sound of my voice. Oh my god, she looked exactly like Tawni, except for a cast around one shoulder.  
"Tawni! What happened to you?"

* * *

Author's Note: sorry this is so late, I lost my flash drive that had this chapter on it and only just finished it, so sorry for the wait and I promise to have another chapter out soon! Review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Tawni? Me? Oh no, I'm not Tawni, I'm Tami." The girl finally stopped playing and smiled at me. "Let's see, I'm smarter, nicer, and prettier then my sister. Ask her yourself," she said.

I grinned, loving Tami already. "So what _did_ happen to your arm?"

"I kinda had an accident skateboarding," she said wistfully, fully turning to face me on the piano bench. I gasped.

On the side of her face that had not been facing me was a huge scar, going from her left eyebrow all the way to the tip of her chin.

"Seventeen stitches," she informed me, a little bit proudly, I thought.

"So where _is _Tawn-" I didn't need to finish my sentence, as I was now quiet enough to hear a voice yelling at someone, presumably Marshall, on their cell phone.

"I will not! Now get me on the show or else I will have my people call your people and fire you!" Nope, definitely not Marshall, since Marshall is her "people".

I followed the voice into my room. Wait, my room? What was Tawni doing in my room?

"Hey, Sonny!" An animated voice came from my bed.

Tawni was decked out in a sundress and gladiator sandals. Lying on my bed.

"Why are you on my bed?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"It's a lot more comfortable than the thing that guy with the bad hearing gave me." She pointed to the floor.

I tried to stifle my laughter, but I couldn't hold back a smile.

Tami, however, could not hold back either one. "Tawni, you dingbat. That's an air mattress."

"And that's where you will be sleeping. Not on my bed," I added. "And Andrew is deaf. And really nice."

Tawni rolled her eyes. "Whatever. And I will not be slumming it for the next week on an _air mattress_!" She said the word like it was poison and she shivered. "I am a star! I deserve to be treated like one."

Tami laughed again. "Tawni, you can sleep where I am going to be sleeping. I'll take the air mattress."

"Really? You'd let me take your bed?" Tawni asked, already picking up her designer suitcase and moving it towards the door.

"Um, sure you can have my sleeping quarters," said Tami.

"So where is it?"

Tami pointed to the sofa. "Right there is where you will be sleeping."

As Tawni looked on in horror, Tami and I cracked up.

"Here, Tawni. Lemme help you," I said, going over to the sofa. I pulled off the cushions and pulled on a handle. A bed sprung up from inside the couch.

"Much better, I'm so glad I figured that out," Tawni said, plopping down on the bed.

Tami rolled her eyes and went to go get her duffel bag and bring it in my room.

"So, Tawni, what TV show did you want to be on?" I asked her.

"The Today Show. I just have to be on there so all my adoring fans will be happy." Yeah, I'm sure it was for the fans.

"Really? I could get you on there, I know one of the producers." I turned. Casey had just walked in.

"Why couldn't you have told me this before?" she pouted. "Now I have to call Marshall back and tell him not to fire anybody!"

Casey rolled his eyes. I had a feeling we would all be rolling our eyes a lot over the next week.

"So," Casey said, coming over behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, "what did you do in school today?" I laughed.

"It was really cool. I got Nikki and Daniel in my group for our project and it's coming along great, I cannot wait to perform it."

"Daniel? Daniel's in your group?" he asked. It was nice to notice that he had a hint of jealousy buried in all his layers.

Tawni laughed. "Ooh, another guy, Sonny? You just can't keep them off you. First Chad, then my cousin, and now this Daniel? I just hope he's cute. You're not known for your taste in guys. Offense," she added as Casey glared at her.

Oh boy, this visit could not be short enough.

* * *

But contrary to my previous thought, the twin's visit went by lightning fast. Pretty soon, they had left, Andrew among them, and it had been two weeks since their visit.

Tami had hit it off with Andrew so the two of them went back together, hoping to do some volunteer work together before Andrew went back to college. Tawni headed off by herself to L.A., where she would be giving other people grief, and thankfully, not me.

The only thing I had to worry about was my group's performance today. Group number thirteen was almost finished and I waited in the wings with Nikki and Daniel by my side. I was wearing an awesome costume though, thanks to a call to Marshall, who pulled some strings and got _So Random_'s costume designers to make and send us some outfits for our performance.

I was Dorothy, in a modern day costume- skintight white dress with blue rhinestones all over it, an intricate French braid that Nikki helped me with, and red sparkly pumps. I thought I looked more like an American stripper girl, but Nikki assured me I looked great. Daniel kept sneaking glances at me too, so I didn't mind much.

Nikki was the wicked witch. Instead of having a green face, she had green eye shadow that brought out her eyes in a way I never thought possible. Her black, pink, and blue hair had been temporarily dyed all black and stuck out under her witch hat in all directions. She too, wore a modern costume- a black cocktail dress with spiky black heels. She carried a broomstick and she had brought Minnie, who was dressed up as a monkey. Daniel was the wizard, looking stunning in a tux and gelled hair.

I heard applause. Oh dear, it was our turn. I paused before going on stage. What was I doing? I was Sonny Munroe for crying out loud! I acted all the time! I could do this! And with that thought, I marched onto stage to start us off.

Our group had decided to modernize our performance, setting the characters in a nightclub, which stagehands were setting up.

Ten minutes, a dance routine, two songs, and a skit later, we were done and finished to thunderous applause.

"Great job Sonny! We could never have done this well without you!" Daniel and Nikki congratulated me as the curtain closed.

During the final performance, backstage, Daniel had combed most of the gel out of his hair, Nikki had lost the broomstick and her hat, traded her heels for sneakers, and was trying to stick her head under the sink next to the props door to wash out her black hair color as she undressed Minnie. I was struggling to get my pumps off and put on flats as I pulled a sweatshirt gingerly over my hair.

Daniel, Nikki, and I had our arms around each other and was trying to walk outside like this when someone came up to me and bumped me from behind.

"I have to admit, that was pretty impressive," said a voice that sounded all too familiar said.

My group turned as one to face the voice.

Chad Dylan Cooper was standing against the wall, a baseball cap covering his blonde hair and his suit had been replaced by a polo and jeans.

"Oh. My. God. You are Chad. Dylan. Cooper!" Nikki squealed.

Chad nodded. "That I am. I also accept the best actor of our generation," he smirked.

"Obnoxious, pig headed, and egotistical actor works too," I commented, grinning.

"Ha ha very funny, Munroe," Chad said, moving from the wall to in front of me. "So, are you happy I'm here?" he asked, his patented smirk once again on his face.

Since he was making fun of me, I thought it only fair that I embarrass him, so I dropped my arms from around Daniel and Nikki, stepped forward, and hugged him.

"Yes, I am," I said, laughing at my own cleverness.

Chad hesitantly patted my back, not sure what to do. I looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd for a face that I could escape too without making it seem too obvious that I wanted to get away from Chad.

I saw Casey lounging on a bench near the entrance. That would be perfect just as long as I could escape Chad without Casey seeing him.

Too late. Casey had spotted me. As he scanned my face and my surrounding friends, his easy smile turned into a scowl. Why was he scowling?

As I was pondering this, he got up abruptly and walked out of the theater.

All too late, I realized I was still hugging Chad Dylan Cooper.

* * *

review please and let me know what you want to see in upcoming chapters! more coming soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N- I know some of these places and whatnot are probably not accurate place wise, but I've never been to New York long enough to know exactly where everything is so bear with me (: ) **

**Chapter Eight**

"So, where are we going first?" Chad asked as I searched the school parking lot for my car.

"_We_ are not going anywhere. I am going home to explain to my boyfriend why I was hugging Chad Dylan Cooper, while you go back home," I snapped while I sucked in my gut to squeeze into between to closely parked cars, so I could finally get in mine.

"You promised to show me around New York," he called out to me as he tried to wave to fans gaping at him while weaving in between cars to reach me.

"No. You promised I would show you around," I said, rolling down my window to finish this conversation once and for all.

"And Chad Dylan Cooper keeps his promises!"

I rolled my eyes. What a drama queen.

"Goodbye Chad," I called, waving and grinning happily at the thought of leaving "the greatest actor of our generation" behind at a school. I could already see the fans swarming him….

"Wait, Sonny! Nononononono!" he called as he disappeared into the group of screaming girls.

A few minutes later, I remembered that I _did_ say I would show him around. But only if he behaved himself...but then again _I_ was the one that hugged _him_. Oh well, no harm, no foul.

I had talked things over with Casey and we were okay now, after he found out that hugging Chad was only a horrible attempt to make him blush. He actually laughed about it and I figured he believed it was an error in his judgment for him not to trust me. So, Casey was upstairs ordering pizza and I was attempting to sketch a picture when the doorbell rang. I got up to answer it.

Yeah, what did I say earlier about no harm, no foul? Haha, I might have been a tad off. Why you ask? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that Chad is now standing on the doorstep of the art studio with a black eye and scratches all up and down his arms.

"Chad!" I gasp. "What happened to _you_?"

"Well, Sonny," he said, pushing his way past me and into the art studio, "I got attacked by a mob of crazy screaming girls while you just drove away." He was now looking around the studio, his expression critical. "I barely managed to call my limo and bodyguards before I passed out from loss of blood."

I rolled my eyes again as he walked over to my easel. "No, no, you don't need to see that," I said, rushing over to flip over my drawing. But he got there first.

"What _is_ this?"

"It's my painting," I said, offended.

"Of _what_?"

"I don't know yet, I just started!"

"Well it looks terrible!"

"Chad, what are you doing here?" I asked, grabbing my paper away from him, rolling it up, and storing it on a shelf.

"I'm here so you can take me sightseeing," he said.

"I am not taking you sightsee-"

"Sonny, you left me to fend for myself at the theater, the least you could do is show me around," Chad interrupted. I wanted to grab him by his bruised neck and shake him. But he had a point.

"Fine," I huffed. "Two hours is all you get, and then you can go back to your top floor suite at the Plaza hotel and pack up your designer suitcases and go home!" He probably flew here on his own personal plane and even had his own airport named after him.

"How did you know I had the top suite at the Plaza?" he asked suspiciously.

"Ugh, never mind, moron," I said, climbing up the stairs to the apartment. "Wait here. I need to get my bag and tell my boyfriendwhere I will be. And don't touch anything!" I yelled down the stairs at the actor that was probably tiptoeing to the shelf to sneak a peek at my painting right as I spoke.

"Who are you yelling at?" Casey asked as I walked in. He was sitting on the couch watching football.

"Chad," I replied nonchalantly as I sauntered slash mall-walked towards my room.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you just said Chad," Casey replied, muting the TV just as I had slipped into my room.

"I did."

"Why is Chad here? I thought you said there was nothing going on between you two," he said.

"I did. But I promised Chad I'd show him around and like it or not, he's dare I say it, a friend and I keep my promises to people, friend or not," I said as I walked by him on my way out. I leaned down over the back of the couch and kissed him on his cheek.

"No more than two hours," I promised, jumping onto the slide, not giving him a chance to respond.

* * *

"So this is the best place to get pizza," I said to Chad as I held open the door to the pizza parlor a few blocks away from Central Park.

"Sorry, I thought you just said pizza," said Chad.

"Yeah, so?"

"Chad Dylan Cooper does not eat pizza. He eats steak and lobster."

"He does now," I said, smirking as I walked up to the counter and ordered a cheese pizza to go.

We walked to back to Central Park with our pizza and sat down on a park bench to eat it.

Unfortunately, the sun was setting and even though it was summer, it was really chilly. I shivered in my jeans and t-shirt, which I had changed into right when I got home.

"You cold?" Chad asked, his mouth full of pizza. Gross.

I sighed. "A little," I admitted. "But no big, I should have remembered my jacket."

"Yes, you should have," Chad commented, going in for another slice of pizza.

So, I was totally surprised when I felt an arm around my shoulder. Oh my god. Chad Dylan Cooper had put his arm around me.

_Sonny! Get a reality check. You hate Chad, remember? He's an obnoxious and egotistical pig_. I thought to myself. But then my little angel side of my reasoning spoke up. _But do you really? Or was it just 'cause everyone else hated him?_

I thought it over in record time, and it was against my better judgment, but I leaned in towards Chad, resting my head on his shoulder.

I could tell I surprised him, but he was gentlemanly enough to not say anything, just take another bite of pizza.

When my phone rang, it surprised both Chad and me. We had toured almost all of NYC it seemed, from anything to Ground Zero to the Empire State building, and even took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Sometime around the time we held hands while touring F.A.O. Schwartz and walking around Times Square we both lost track of time.

So I almost jumped out of my jeans when my butt vibrated. Trying not to disrupt my tower of ice cream, I reached into my back pocket to check the caller I.D. Casey. I ignored the call and noticed the time. Shoot. It was nearing eleven, almost two hours after the time I said I'd be home.

"Cow patties!" I yelled out loud. Chad jumped.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"I have to get home. Like, right now," I said, trying to shove my phone back in my pocket and stand up, all without knocking over my already-leaning tower of ice cream.

"Wait, Sonny, relax. Just at least finish your ice cream first," Chad said calmly, tugging on my arm to get me to sit down.

I relented and took a few more bites of my ice cream to satisfy Chad, but while my head was bent, his was leaning across the table, and before I knew it, our lips were touching.

All my coherent thoughts flew out my ears, because all I thought was, _Finally._ We kissed for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only seconds. But I was in so much bliss that I didn't even realize the camera flash going off behind me.

* * *

A/N- So, what do you guys think? sorry it was so short, but the end is nearing and im trying to draw it out haha- new chapter soon!


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N- I'm pretty sure this will be the only time where I put Casey's point of view in the story :) ****)**

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* * *

****Chapter Nine**

I got home at around eleven thirty. All was dark when I walked in. All was quiet, too, except for the gentle sound of the piano from behind closed doors.

As soon as I closed the door, the music stopped. In the darkness, I saw a shadow moving towards the door. I flicked on the dim living room light as the figure stepped out of the doorway.

As he passed me, Casey gave me a look that filled me with shame, disgust, and sorrow, all in one. And that was even before I told him I kissed Chad.

Wait. He would never know. He could never know. As far as I was concerned, that kiss never happened. Neither did anything else that we did that afternoon.

_But it did, silly_, I told myself as I went into my room and started getting ready for bed. _And you enjoyed it. Because you know Casey was never right for you. You are a Hollywood actress and Casey is…he's an NYC artist. And well, Chad is a Holly wood actor. Face it you two are destined…._

But for what, exactly? Mocking from tabloids? Shunning from fellow cast members? Or better yet, failure?

I sighed. This was more complicated than I could have ever imagined. But on the non-bright side tomorrow I had school and it was almost midnight when I climbed into the bed. I reached over and re-set my alarm. The time I had already set it for would be too late for what I knew I had to do.

* * *

When I opened my eyes at six am, I groaned, but I pushed myself out of bed.

I changed the sheets, folding the dirty ones and placing them by the washer. I dusted the room, and cleaned my bathroom. I opened the blinds and the window to air out the room after I wiped down every surface. I was still in my pajamas, so I changed into something only slightly more decent- a pair of sweats and flip-flops. I glanced at the clock. 6:38. I still had time.

I cleared out all the closets and dressers and haphazardly stuck my clothes into my two duffel bags.

Then, with only ten minutes left until the sun rose high enough to peep into Casey's room and wake him, I sat down at the desk, pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

At two minutes 'til, I scooped up my things, went into the kitchen where I knew Casey would be in a few minutes, and placed the piece of paper beside the coffee pot. I reached into the larger of my duffel bags and pulled out the rolled piece of parchment that I had gotten from the studio downstairs and worked on until early this morning. That went next to the paper.

I grabbed my purse lying next to the door and silently shut the door behind me, stopping before I reached the stairs. I looked back at Casey's door, grieving on the outside, but knowing it was the right thing to do on the inside.

As I tiptoed down the stairs I heard a bedroom door open and close, knowing that in just a few seconds, our relationship would officially be over.

I backed out of the parking spot in front of the studio quickly, not wanting to be here when Casey finished my letter, but allowing myself a longing glance at the building as I drove away to start a new scene in my life-long movie.

* * *

_[Casey POV]_

I walked out of my bedroom, rubbing sleep from my eyes. As soon as I had woken up this morning, all of last night came back to me. I was disappointed and unsure that I could trust my own girlfriend. And I knew I definitely could not trust Chad. Tawni had made sure of that. I also thought I was losing Sonny, and I was pretty sure I didn't want that.

But I tried to push that from my mind as I went into the kitchen for breakfast and my daily cup of coffee, positive I would sit her down as soon as she emerged from her room after a long night out and talk to her to reassure myself.

I reached into the fridge for a yogurt and turned to make myself a cup of coffee.

"What's this?" I said out loud, noticing a rolled paper and a flat one. I picked up the flat one first, my eyes growing wide as I read.

_ Casey- as you read this I will be gone, driving to a_

_place that I don't know yet. I have taken all_

_my stuff and cleaned up. The dirty sheets are next _

_to the washer. I had to do it, you see, for me and_

_for you. We had something to begin with, but I _

_think it's over now, and we both know it. These_

_past few weeks with you have been the best days_

_of me life, but it's time I moved on. It's not fair to you_

_for me to keep staying with you. It would make us both unhappy_

_and I would not be able to get away with lying to you _

_so here's the truth. I like someone else. Maybe even love, but I think_

_it's too soon for that right now. And yes, it's Chad. I know I have seemed_

_different the past few days and now you know why. I guess I _

_always liked him, but I kept lying to myself and trying to_

_ignore feelings I _really_ didn't want. But now ever since I got here, I_

_have matured and come to realize that I have to accept who_

_I am and the consequences that come with it. So thank you, you have_

_taught me a lesson I will neither forget nor regret. I wish you the best in your_

_art and whatever else you decide to go for. _

_Lots of Love, _

_Sonny _

She was gone. No more would I get to hold her hand or feel her arm around me as we worked around the house of took walks outside as the clock struck midnight. Gone were the days where I looked forward to ending my art classes early knowing she was upstairs waiting with a cup of lemonade.

I folded the letter placed it in my pocket, and picked up the rolled up piece of paper.

It was a drawing, I realized, as I unfolded it. Not just a drawing, but a drawing of me. It was done half ion charcoal, half in pastel. In it, I was bent over an easel, the concentrated look that everybody told me I wore when painting but never see it for myself evident on my face. Sonny had signed it in the corner, though I never knew she could draw, much less this well. I went to go roll it back up, the pain was too much, when I saw writing on the back.

_Casey, I thought you would want this. Don't worry I made a copy for _

_myself, this is the original. And I never knew I could draw either, so don't_

_kill yourself over not knowing. I had started on this yesterday afternoon,_

_but I stopped when Chad arrived. I won't go into any more detail,_

_because you have probably just read my letter and are hating me_

_and Chad, but a long story short, he made me realize I didn't know what_

_it was. And you taught me that if I never know what something is, close my_

_eyes and it will appear on paper. So that's what I did. I closed my eyes and this_

_is what appeared on the paper when I opened them. I hope you like it,_

_and that you think of me and all the great times we shared_

_whenever you look at this._

_~Sonny_

I rolled it up after I finished and tossed it in the back of my closet, knowing I would not open it again for a long, long, time.

* * *

_[Sonny POV]_

I pulled my little Smart Car into a parking space near the front of the lot and grabbed my stuff out of the passenger seat. It was nearing seven thirty, I honestly had not expected my drive to take this long but morning traffic was horrible.

I had cried all my tears on the way here, so before I went into the elevator, I asked directions to the ladies room and splashed some cool water on my face.

Then, I took a deep breath, pulled my bags onto my shoulder, pulled back my now-greasy hair and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor.

A few seconds later, I stepped into a fancy hallway, heading towards a single door at the end of it.

After knocking on the door for what seemed like hours, someone finally opened it.

"Hey, Chad. Can I come in?"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/n- Gasp! why is another chapter out so soon you say? haha i have to work on my other story (My Cinderella Story) for an english project thats due in may so i figured why not finish this one first to get it out of the way? so here it is...and for those of you who read my other story too, sorry another chapter won't be out for a little while... review please, and enjoy-the end is near! :)**

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* * *

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**Chapter Ten**

"Why? Why would you come knocking on my door before noon on a Friday morning? Whyyyyyy?" Chad Dylan Cooper complained, swinging the door wider to let me in.

"I needed somewhere to stay," I said, putting my acting skills to good use. I pouted, and made my lip tremble while I cast my eyes down towards the carpet that looked like it cost more than I will make in my entire acting career. Then, with my grand finale, I squinted until tears formed and started to slide down my cheeks at a constant rate.

"Oh no, not…don't cry, here come on inside, we'll get you something to drink…stop crying!" Chad said, frustrated, not quite sure what to do.

I looked up and grinned, all traces of tears gone. "Thanks, Chad."

Chad groaned. "_Now_ you Randoms are good actors. Oh well, harm done already. So come on in, I'll have Ryan make you some tea…at least I think tea calms nerves, which apparently you were only faking having, so…um…"

"I'll have some water," I interrupted. Chad looked relieved.

"Ryan! Get some water for Sonny," Chad called out. I saw a man no older than thirty emerge from a door that I never noticed, and go down a hallway.

"He comes with the room," Chad said, answering my un-asked question. "So speaking of coming to rooms, why are you hear? I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but you. Woke. Me. Up."

He sure sounded rude. But it was then that I realized he was still in his navy silk button-down pjs, his hair tousled and his feet bare, and I just had to laugh.

"Nice jammies," commented, trying hard not to grin.

"Like I said, you. Woke. Me. Up!" Chad complained, heading towards the door that Ryan walked out of. "I need to change. Make yourself comfortable and then when I am looking like the top rated Hollywood actor I am, then we can talk about why you are here and what was so important as to go and wake me up before noon!" He stormed off, the door swinging shut behind him.

I took this free time to look around after I dumped my bags by the door. The main room that you first walked into was huge, and in the shape of an octagon. It had a high ceiling with skylights, which were covered up with shades. I searched the walls until I found the labeled switch, pressed a button, and watched as the shades retracted and let in the beautiful New York sun.

I heard a knock on the door, and opened it to find a paper sitting in the now-empty hallway. I picked it up, looked at the front cover, and blanched, quickly shoving it into my sweatshirt pocket.

A fireplace sat in one corner, with two over-stuffed, high backed chairs in front of it. A decorative couch was against another side, with a three-legged table holding a glass bowl of fake fruits next to it. A door was on the next two sides of the room, and in the center of the room, a giant table that could easily seat ten people sat below a grand glass chandelier that reflected the sunlight onto the walls in a shimmering pattern. Several of the walls had priceless paintings, or tables with costly sculptures or other artifacts, and the longest wall, right across from the entrance, was a giant bookshelf, filled completely with books that looked as if they had never been read, much less touched in the past 100 years.

The walls were a deep mahogany, and the floor was covered in a blood-red patterned carpet. Three sides of the room contained a giant floor-to-ceiling window, looking out onto Central Park, with the perfect view of the carriage rides and bunches of trees right outside.

Bored with exploring the room, I sat down in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, which, despite the warm temperature outside, contained a medium-sized flame.

Ugh. The chair was not comfortable. At all. So, with a sigh, I plopped my butt down onto the plush carpet. Ahh, much better.

"Miss?" I looked up to find Ryan holding out a glass of water.

I smiled. "Thanks."

"You know, the kitchen chairs are quite comfortable. Not that Mr. Cooper has even stepped foot in the kitchen, so he would not know. But you look like the kind of girl who would enjoy a nice plate of scrambled eggs in a kitchen. Without the perfectly crisped turkey bacon or precisely cut fruit on the side," Ryan went on, holding out a hand to me.

My smile widened into a grin, and I took the offered hand to hoist myself up. "That sounds wonderful."

An hour later, I was sitting on one of the surprisingly comfortable wooden chairs at the table in the kitchen, which looked not nearly as pricey or exquisite as the rest of the suite, but had a homey feeling to it, which made it even better.

The eggs were delicious, and Ryan sat across from me, eating a plate, when we heard Chad.

"Ryan? Ryan! RYAN!"

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"In here, Chad!" I yelled back.

A few minutes later, the kitchen door swung open, revealing Chad in khakis and a polo shirt, and his hair neatly combed.

"Really Chad? That took you an hour?" I asked, trying to not roll my eyes. I failed.

"Yes. I don't just roll out of bed looking this good," he retorted. "Why are you in the _kitchen_?" He spit out the last word like it was poison.

"I'm eating breakfast. I haven't had enough time yet to sit down and eat."

"That reminds me. We need to have a talk." He gestured to the door.

I reluctantly got up, putting my plate in the dishwasher. "The eggs were great Ryan, thanks."

He smiled as I followed Chad into another room. It looked like a living room, sort of. The room was all white, with a fuzzy white rug. The couch in front of a fireplace (both white of course) had two aqua pillows. On top of the fireplace mantle was a glass vase holding three bright blue Gerbera Daisies and white marbles, and a white baby grand piano sat in the corner of the room in front of a window with aqua drapes. The whole effect was very cool.

Chad motioned to the couch. I threw myself down on the couch, surprised when it sunk underneath me. I wiggled ungracefully as I tried to pull myself up into a sitting position. Giving up, I lounged against a pillow.

Chad, with laughter clear in his eyes, sat down at the other end. "Okay, Munroe, spill."

And I took a deep breath and told him everything, starting with my first day in New York and ending as to why I was on his doorstep before eight a.m. I was almost in tears by the time I was done.

I would never know if Chad was just being a good friend or a good actor, but he seemed legitimately sympathetic that he had cost me a boyfriend. He took one look at my teary face (and it was real this time) and motioned to himself.

"C'mere," he said, holding out his arms. I sank gratefully against his surprisingly sculpted chest and breathed out. "No snot on the shirt, please," he said, sounding like the old Chad I knew, but his warm arms around me told me he didn't really mind.

"Oh!" I sat up all of a sudden. "I almost forgot." Chad immediately put his arms down, as if he suddenly realized he had been holding me. I reached into my sweatshirt and pulled out his paper. "You had asked me earlier to tell you what was so important to wake you up. My reason is this..." I handed him the paper.

It took him all of three seconds to skim the front page, as a result, seeing the page that might ruin his reputation forever.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"This is unbelievable! I cannot go anywhere without the press following me!" Chad exclaimed as he paced around the living room in his penthouse suite.

"It's not _that_ big of a deal," I said, trying to clam him down.

When he glared at me, I shut up. But only for a little while. "What about my problem? I think it's a much more…pressing issue. No pun intended."

"Yeah, yeah, stay here, whatever. But I need to know who took this picture," he said absentmindedly.

I was elated that he said I could stay, but only for a second. "Wait, what? Are you ashamed to be seen with me or something?" I accused, coming up in front of him.

"Well…no, but I'd rather not have people see us like this," he answered carefully.

I doubted his answer but let it go. "I need to change for school. I really don't have to go but you probably don't want to spend the whole day with me."

"Okay, you can have the punk room. Personally, I can't stand it, but hey, you're a guest, and guest's don't complain." As he led me out of the room, he tossed the newspaper with a picture of him and I kissing during our ice cream date onto the top of the piano.

* * *

"Whoa," I said out loud as I stepped into my room. It _was_ a punk room. The walls were painted a deep purple. The bed was black and purple stripes, but other than that all the furniture was black. There was a lava lamp with purple "lava" in it, but other than that, the room was dark.

I thought the bedroom was weird but when I went into the connecting bathroom, I almost had a heart attack. There. Are. Fish. In. My. Bathroom.

The walls were painted a bright blue with seaweed and coral designs. The sink was clear, as well as the toilet. And they were both giant fish tanks. With real fish. It was kind of creepy and a lot different from the room, but I tried to ignore it as I took a shower and got ready to go to school.

After I was dressed, I walked out into the hallway, grabbed my book bag, and went into the kitchen to grab some water before I left.

The window had been opened and it was _hot_. I was dressed warmly, I guess because of the temperature in the suite and the fires going, so I ran back to my room, changed into a shorts and a t-shirt, and ran out the door.

"Wait, Sonny," Chad called, sticking his head out of a room as I ran down the hall. "I'll drive."

"Are you sure? I didn't know you even knew how to drive," I said.

Five minutes later we were seated in the backseat of his limo.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me. _This_ is what you meant by drive me to school? I am _not_ showing up like some spoiled rich kid. I want people to _like_ me. I'm out," I said, opening the door and sticking a foot out.

"Wait, Sonny," Chad said. I looked at him, while I continued to get out of the limo. "Where are you going? Are you going to walk?"

"No. I do have a car, Chad. I'm driving. And you are not to follow me," I added, seeing as he was about to get out of the limo too.

Of course, being Chad, he didn't listen and stepped out anyway, waving the driver away. The driver happily obliged.

"Let me come with you. I'll find something to do while you're in school. And then we can do something. I'm not doing any interviews until tomorrow afternoon. I will be one unhappy actor sitting in the room all day with nothing to do."

"Room? Please, it's like a mansion stuffed into one floor of a building," I scoffed. But a part of me felt guilty, so I opened my big mouth. "Fine. I'll make you a deal, Chad. You find my car and I'll give you a ride."

Chad grinned and I leaned against the wall of the hotel to watch him struggle.

Two minutes later, he pointed to my car. "That one."

I gaped at him. "How did you know?"

"The plate."

"What?"

"The license plate, SORDMCM. It stands for _So Random_ Cast Member. That, and the cow covered cell phone in the passenger seat."

I blinked, and then patted my pockets self-consciously. Darn, I did leave my phone in the car.

I didn't even know what the license plate was, or that it stood for anything. But CDC, aka 'best actor of our generation', or as we called him, 'best oblivious actor of our generation' managed to figure it out. That's just great.

"All right you win, hop in." I gave in with a sigh.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"No way am I doing this, I'm late enough as it is. C'mon." I got into the driver's seat with a scowl.

"Well somebody's got their thong in a bunch," Chad said happily as he buckled himself.

"I don't wear-never mind, I'm not talking to you."

I could feel Chad's satisfaction rolling off him in waves as we drove to school in silence.

"Okay," I said as I got out of the car. "What are you going to do for five hours?"

"Five hours? Whoa, wait a second. I didn't know that school-"

"Problem?" I asked him cheerfully.

"Nope," he said wryly. "I'll figure something out."

"Good." I smiled.

"All right. So meet me here at…" He studies his watch for a few seconds. "Three?"

"I guess so," I said, not really listening.

"Fine," Chad noted.

"Don't even, Chad. I'm leaving."

"Fine."

I rolled my eyes and started to walk into the building.

"Hey, wait, I'm sorry I'm being so annoying. Forgive me?" He held his arms out.

I nodded and hugged him.

As he turned away I whispered, "I will always forgive you."

I walked into school, going towards the front office, giving my name to the secretary.

"I wasn't supposed to be here today, but here I am. Anywhere you need me?"

The secretary looked relieved. "Well, there's an acting class where the substitute called in sick, and we can't find another replacement. If you could cover that…." She trailed off.

"Say no more just tell me what I have to do!" I said excited. The secretary handed me a thick folder.

"Here you will find the plans for today and how you are to go about teaching it. All of the student's information is in there too."

I thanked her and headed towards the classroom printed on the front of the folder.

I stood in front of the door in shock. These were not high school kids like I had thought, the oldest was probably thirteen. I was just going to have to wing it then. But I would have to loudly wing it, everyone was out of his or her seats and it sounded like a cafeteria.

"Okay, guys!" I called, stepping into the classroom. The noise dropped, but was still loud. "All right!" I said, even louder, crossing the floor to stand in front of the teacher's desk. "I need to look over the lesson plan. I want you all in your seats, now, and you-" I gestured to a girl dressed in jeans and a graphic tee, "take attendance." I handed her a sheet lying on top of the mountain of papers.

All the kids sat down (well mostly slouched) and were silent as I leaned against the desk and read through the plans and I grew more excited as I read.

"Okay, I am super excited to get to do this lesson," I said. I saw a girl raise her hand in the back. "Yes? Tell me your name first," I asked.

"Maddy. Are you Sonny from So Random?"

I nodded. "Uh huh."

"Cool!"

This started a buzz in the room, but as soon as I opened my mouth, it stopped. Nice.

"This lesson plan is awesome. You guys are gonna go on a little field trip with me today…" I said mysteriously.

Another round of voices filled the room and a guy in the front row raised his hand slightly. I nodded.

"Are you going to tell us where?" he asked. Everyone was attentive, I knew he was the silently decided asker of a question everyone wanted to know.

"It's a surprise," I said, grinning. But leave your stuff, and anyone who needs to go to the bathroom or get a drink, go now." Ten people filed out into the hallway.

When everyone was back, I started again. "All right, it says put yourself into groups of no less than four but no more than eight," I said, studying the paper and waiting as the students shuffled around and talked excitedly while they reformed into groups.

"Now you have to follow we and listen to whatever I say, or else we have to come straight back, okay?" The kids nodded furiously. "Then away we go!"

The students were on their perfect behavior, only going slightly out of line as they whispered excitedly. I led them outside, and down several blocks.

I stopped on one corner. "Go to it guys!"

They stared. "Um, what exactly are we going to?" a girl asked.

"Your assignment…" I paused for dramatic effect. "Is to improvise. You need to stand on this corner, with your groups and improvise skits and stuff. Place one of _these_," I handed each group a bucket, "in front of you. Hopefully, if people like what you are doing, they will drop money into the bucket. The money will go towards your end of the semester amusement park field trip."

Cheers filled the corner. "But," I cautioned, "do not stop acting to thank the people. If you really want, incorporate it into the skit. You have four hours to complete this task. Go!" The teams scurried around, trying to find the best spot on the corner.

Three hours later, I was taking a break on the street corner. Each group was doing fantastic, their buckets almost overflowing. I had joined every group at least once, which definitely helped the tips, but my feet hurt. And I was starving, it was 1:30 and I had only eaten a few eggs for breakfast.

"Listen up!" I shouted, motioning for all the groups to finish up and then come over. "I don't know about y'all, but I am starving. And I think you deserve a break. So let's go eat!" We gathered up our money pails and went to the nearest vendor. I ended up paying for every student to get a hot dog and a drink, but I didn't mind, these kids were awesome.

Twenty minutes later, we were back at it again, this time improvising with alphabet skits. One person has to say their line starting with _A_, the next person's line has to start with _B_ and so on. If they mess up, they're out.

I walked pass the groups, pointing at people I heard mess up and they reluctantly went to go sit outside of the circle. I even joined in at one point, keeping groups moving as they struggled to get from _P_ to _Q_ to _R_.

All too soon it was 2:30 and we had to head back to school, dragging our now super-full buckets along behind us.

As soon as we got to the classroom, I let the kids chill for the next half hour, they had deserved it. But what I wasn't expecting as I put my feet up on the desk and took my favorite novel out of my bag was Nikki walking in.

"Hey!" I said, sitting up.

"Oh don't you 'hey' me. You wanna explain this to me?" She threw a copy of the paper onto the desk. I grinned.

"There's nothing to explain."

"But you're freaking living with Casey. And he's your boyfriend!" she whisper-shouted, just now noticing the class eavesdropping intently. Anyone who didn't know here would think the whole punk image would make this yelling thing a lot scarier than it actually was.

"Nope."

"What do you mean, _no_?" Nikki glared at me, turning her back on the class.

"No, I'm not dating Casey, I'm not even living with him anymore," I said, starting to snap. My cool was wearing off and my hackles were raised slightly. I breathed deeply and gave my friend a level stare.

"Well then where are you-" she paused. "Oh no, tell me you're kidding."

I grinned again. "I'm not kidding," I said, enjoying every last minute of this. "We drove together to school this morning and he's taking me on a date after school in about…" I glanced at my watch. "Ten minutes."

"Girl, you better go buy yourself a ladder before you go on that date."

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cause you're gonna need something to get yourself out of that deep hole you're digging."

I rolled my eyes. "I can take care of myself, thanks."

"Sure," Nikki called over her shoulder as she left. As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, the class got "involved" in their work, and didn't look up to the front of the room, which was fine by me. I needed time to think.

Ten minutes later, the bell rang, and the students all came up to me and said how awesome of a time they had and how much they loved having me as a sub before they filed out the door. I gathered up the plans, returned them to the office, and got my check, which I would happily deposit in my gift/Sonny's Mental Health day fund at the bank.

Then I went to go wait outside for Chad. Twenty minutes later, still waiting, so I go back inside to grab the giant cardboard box with all of the class earnings in it so I can count it. Twenty more minutes and 953 dollars later, still no Chad.

I give up and start walking to my car, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Chad?" I turn, my frown turning into a grin, which slides away as soon as I realize its Nikki.

"He didn't show, did he? Sonny, I'm so sorry," she said, pulling me into a hug, while I cried my eyes out. "C'mon," she said, coaxing me to my car.

"What about your ride?" I sniffled.

"I told Daniel to go home without me when I saw you walking by yourself. We had to stay after to help tutor some kids."

She pushed me into the passenger seat of my car and while she got into the driver's side, I triple/quadruple checked my phone. No texts, no calls, no nothing. Chad Dylan Cooper had officially stood me up.

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review please, tell me what you thought! more soon :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

After I had cried my eyes out in Nikki's bedroom, I stood up from my sanctuary on the floor, ready to leave. I wobbled, but I was able to stay on my feet without tipping over.

"Are you sure you're ready to go? You can spend the night," Nikki said, hovering near my side in case I fell.

"Yeah. I don't want to impose on you any more. I will go walking somewhere until I can figure out what to do. I obviously can't go back to the hotel, but my stuff is there, including my money…" I trailed off, wiping my eyes with a tissue.

"Take your car, don't walk!" Nikki protested, looking horrified.

"Does it look like I'm in any condition to drive? I'll come back and get it tomorrow."

"Well at least take a shower. It will refresh you and get rid of the puffiness from your eyes. Besides, if you need to stay somewhere else, you can be clean," Nikki said, handing me a Juicy tracksuit she had just pulled out of her closet.

"Thanks," I said, tearing up again.

"Oh stop," she said, pushing me towards the door to the bathroom. "Go. Get clean."

Nikki was right again. I felt so much better after showering, and my eyes were no longer red.

I wished her a farewell, and left her house with nothing but Nikki's clothes on my back, and my cell phone in my hand.

I was halfway down the block when I realized that the sweatshirt pocket had had two fifties slipped into it.

I almost burst into tears right then and there.

I don't know where I was headed, just that I had to get there. With no destination in mind, I started walking, trying to get as close to Central Park as I possibly could, to keep me from getting lost.

So, I almost completely over looked it when I walked by, and I didn't register in my brain what I was seeing until I had walked a few dozen steps.

I halted, and retraced my steps, making sure to go behind a tree so he wouldn't spot me.

My eyes did not deceive me. Chad Dylan Cooper was sitting on top of a boulder on a picnic basket. A pretty girl was sitting across from him, and he was laughing, but she had a serious look on her face.

She was fair skinned, with full lips and brown hair that flowed in gentle waves just past her shoulders when it was up in a ponytail. A red flower rested gently in her hair and she wore a skin-tight, white spaghetti strap top and a shirt red skirt with a red and white checked belt around her hips. She wore red silk sandals and big, silver hoop earrings completed the ensemble.

Chad was dressed nicely too, in khaki pants and a light blue polo shirt. His hair seemed even more perfect than usual. It made me seethe.

So what if I unknowingly played hard to get this morning? It was out of habit. For gosh sake's, you don't just wake up one morning and start liking someone you have hated for the past however many years. It just doesn't work that way.

Oh my gosh, now Chad was hugging the girl! And the girl kissed him on the cheek! And she was so not trying to hide her cleavage as she got up, gracefully hopped off the boulder, and immediately pulled her cell phone to her ear, scurrying off talking like a madman. For a second, her eyes met mine and I glared. I hope those sandals hurt her feet.

I had had enough. I went over to Chad and promptly slapped him across the face.

"You-you-you bastard!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face yet again. "First you have the mind to stand me up after school and I walk by to see you hitting on another girl. I'm such an idiot! I will _never_ forgive you for this!" I sobbed, storming away. I was so surprised at the word that came out of my mouth, but contrary to my previous statement this morning, I probably _would_ never forgive him, so he probably earned it.

"Sonny! Wait, Sonny, that wasn't what it was! Sonny, we need to-" I could hear Chad calling after me as I ran down the street in the middle of the park, not even being able to see where I was going.

I stopped when I got to the end of the path, and I spotted Chad's limo waiting for him. I didn't even think, I just got into the backseat and told the driver to drive to the hotel, that Chad would be along later.

He didn't even seem fazed by my tears, as he drove away, and through the tinted window, I saw Chad running like a madman down the path, waving his arms and yelling. It only comforted me a little, and with tears still streaming down my face, I lay my head against the window and closed my eyes.

* * *

_Chad's POV_

I was waiting for Sonny to show up at my picnic spot (she was really late, by the way) when my press secretary walked up to me.

"Hey, Sonia. What are you doing here? I thought you were touring the sights with your boyfriend," I said, kind of snappishly. I was still peeved she had been spending too much time with her boyfriend she brought along and not enough time setting up interviews on all the shows filming out of New York.

"Eh, he wanted to go see some show I had no interest in seeing, so I thought I would take a walk when I got your text."

"Text? I never sent you a text."

"Yeah, you did, like an hour ago. I was kinda surprised, but then I thought, yeah he's trying to butter me up so I can book him all the best show spots, so I figured I'd come." She held out her Blackberry.

The text read: "_Hey, change of plans, come meet me at the giant rock in the middle of Central Park. Got a great surprise planned, I think you'll love it. Drive over here ASAP. ~CDC_

I paled. "Um… that wasn't supposed to be sent to you."

Sonia scoffed. "Thanks, Chad, honey, makes me feel real good."

"Don't call me honey," I protested. 'You're only three years older than me, it's nasty." I reached into my pocket to send the text to Sonny instead of Sonia, but no dice. My phone was dead.

"Hey, Sonia, can I borrow your phone? I need to text my…friend. I was supposed to text her and not you. But I guess I selected your name instead."

Sonia rolled her eyes and sat down. "You mean your girlfriend?"

I started to protest, but she held up her hand. "Honey, you wouldn't do all this for just a friend." She gestured to the meal I had set up. She picked up a sandwich. "And the boss would kill me if he found out I was sending non-work related texts on my work phone. My other phone is charging at my hotel."

I groaned. "Aw man, Sonny's gonna think I stood her up."

"Don't worry, she will be charmed with your good looks and wit." She had a serious look on her face but I burst out laughing.

"Yeah, right she's never cared about any of that stuff. That's what I like about her."

Sonia smiled. "You really like her don't you?"

I nodded. "And I don't wanna screw this up. So if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to the hotel and charge my phone so I can call her. And you need to work on me getting interviews."

She agreed, and I leaned over to hug her, and in return she kissed my cheek. "You are really the best press secretary any one could have," I said, as she jumped down from the boulder and immediately whipped out her phone. She glanced towards the trees, and whispered under he breath.

"Chick alert," she said and then scurried off, chattering merrily to whomever she had just called.

What? Chick alert? What the heck was that supposed to mean? My thoughts were interrupted by a slap going across my face at top speed. I gingerly put my hand to the spot on my face where it stung the most, and tried to clear my vision, which had been marred by tiny white lights.

When I was finally able to see straight, I saw a very angry Sonny in my face, screaming at the top of her lungs. I caught the words _bastard_, which I would never expect to come out of Sonny's mouth, _stand me up, another girl, idiot, _and_ never forgive you._ The last words out of her mouth were the ones that hurt the most. I tried to explain, but she started running away.

"Sonny! Wait, Sonny, that wasn't what it was! Sonny, we need to-" I tried to yell after her, but it was no use, so I started running.

I was a few yards away when I saw her get into my limo.

"No, no! Not my limo! No, you can break my heart but never take my limo! Sonny, wait, come back, I want my limoooo!" I yelled, and waved my arms, trying to get the driver to stop. But, the limo went around the corner and was gone.

* * *

_Sonny's POV_

I woke up when I felt the bump of the limo going over the slight raise in pavement at the entrance to the Plaza's parking lot. I thanked the driver profusely and went out, trying to walk fast, but not too fast as to raise suspicion. If I knew Chad like I thought I did, he would find another means of transportation and bribe the driver to get to the Plaza ASAP and try and find me before I could leave, which is exactly what I did not want to happen.

So, I took the elevator and handed the elevator operator a twenty to claim the elevator was broken if Chad came and tried to get on.

Ryan was dusting when I came in. "Sonny? Everything-" he paused. "What's up?" he asked, setting down his duster.

"Do not let Chad in here before I leave," I said, walking past him and slamming the door shut.

I furiously started tossing clothes in my bags and zipped them up as quick as I could. I grabbed them and opened the door, taking deep breaths. I was in the hallway when I heard the door open and shut.

"Where is she?" Gosh darn it, that voice belonged to Chad Dylan Cooper. "Is she here?"

"I don't think so," Ryan replied, perfectly innocent.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Um…" Ryan started.

I ruined it though, not thinking, sprinting to my room with my duffel bags thumping against my back, and slamming my door shut and turning the lock with a loud click.

"Never mind!" I heard Chad call, and heard his shoes clomping down the hallway as he walked, at a quite leisurely pace, I'm sure.

"Open up, Sonny." He knocked on my door. Well, pounded is more like it.

"No!"

"Fine. I will just knock on this door until you open it."

"Fine by me," I called back. Two could play at this game. I unzipped one of my bags and took out my iPod and speakers. I set the iPod to the most horrible tune I owned- one heavy metal songs that was free on iTunes, so it wasn't like it was a waste of money- and plugged it into my speakers. I then turned the volume all the way up, which drowned out both Chad's knocking and screaming to turn down the music, and lay down on my bed, the music also drowning out all my thoughts.

When the song was about to come to a close, I set it on repeat, and for the next ten minutes, I got to listen to the songs over and over...and over...and over again.

Then, I warily shut off my iPod, my ears still ringing, and listened. All was quiet.

I silently padded over to the door, unlocked it, and stuck my head out. Nobody was there. I crept into my room to grab my things, and I peered out one more time to make sure the coast was clear.

"Boo!" Chad had snuck down the hallway when I went to go grab my bags.

"Aaaaiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" I screamed, one hand going to my chest and the other trying to slam the door shut on Chad's 'perfect' face. No such luck. He stuck his foot in the door and started to walk in. I tossed the bags away from me and ran into the bathroom, where I locked that door before Chad could get in. He started up his incessant banging again and I tuned him out, sitting down on the toilet to wait it out.

Twenty minutes later, the knocking ended, and I welcomed the silence. I was _not_ going to make the same mistake as last time, so, not knowing why I hadn't thought of this sooner, pulled my phone out of my pocket, stuck the camera half under the door, and snapped a few pictures. I pulled the phone back in, and looked at the pictures.

None of them showed anything except for the last one, which showed Chad lounging on the bed, making a face at the camera.

"Funny, Chad," I said.

"I thought so too," came the reply.

I groaned and sat back down on the toilet. This was going to be a long evening.

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A/n- dont forget to review! the site tells me that only 5% of ppl reading this actually review, so lets up that percentage guys! anyhoo, i hope you liked it, the end is nearing (in the next 2 or so chapters) so each chapter will possibly be getting longer, these last 2 chapters have had more than 1,000 more words than my others, so be prepared! and R.E.V.I.E.W. :D


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- sorry it's so long i just could not stop writing! (and i couldnt find a decent stopping point) but i promise you its worth it! review and enjoy :)**

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**Chapter Thirteen**

I stretched my arms above my head, which was when I noticed I was _really_ sore. I went to sit up, hoping that would ease the pain, but lo and behold, it made it a lot worse.

_Bang! _

Owwwwwwww. I had slouched down so my head was resting against the side of the bathtub in the bathroom, and when I had sat up, my head had banged against the top of the sink. Now I would have a big bump on my head. Great.

Rubbing my head, I gingerly stood up, wincing as various cracks resonated throughout my body.

I reached behind me and stretched one more time, and then I grabbed my phone from the top of the toilet where I had tossed it in a fit of rage after the battery had died during a boring game of solitaire.

Thankfully, some of the juice had been restored while I was sleeping and it showed I had about three minutes left on it. I glanced at the time. Four thirty in the morning. I gently pressed my ear to the door.

All was quiet. Wait. I strained my ears, and I could just barely make out the sound of soft snoring. Perfect.

I eased open the door, and crept out into the bedroom. Chad was sprawled across my bed, a book lying open on his chest, which was rising and falling with every deep breath he took. My bags lay in the middle of the room where I had tossed them last night. Thank god, I would have thought he would have emptied them.

I tiptoed over and lifted the bags onto my shoulder. I walked over to Chad, reached into one of my tote bags and retracted a bright purple sharpie. I drew a French moustache under his nose and a little goatee on his chin. All of a sudden, he snorted in his sleep, and rolled over. I quickly drew my hands out of the way, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. I wasn't going to get caught.

Then, I went over to the door and walked out of the room without looking back.

* * *

I ended up sitting on a bench that overlooked the ice rink, and just stared out at the rising sun that was creeping up over the sides of a skyscraper.

Around seven, people started walking about, paying no attention to me and my bags. I was grateful, but I was also lonely. I figured Chad would come looking for me the first chance he got, which was when his limo driver started working around ten. But maybe he would resort to taking a cab, which I doubted, but wouldn't put it past him.

So I gave up watching the ridiculous couple trying to skate, and dialed Nikki's cell.

"Hello? Sonny? Is that you? What happened?"

I started crying as soon as I heard my friend's concerned voice. "Can I…just…come over please? I need a place to hide."

"Of course! I'll be waiting. And, um, Daniel's here hanging with Cam, but I can make him lea-"

"No! Not on my account, we can just stay in your room, if that's ok. I don't really want to talk to anyone else right now."

Nikki agreed and I started walking to her house. I was only a few blocks away when my phone buzzed.

It showed I had a text from Chad. My finger hovered over the delete button, but curiosity got the best of me.

_Sonny! I cannot believe u did this. I rly need to talk 2 u 2 explain this. It's not what u think, I swear. I don't want 2 say it ovr txt. Meet me somewhere? Txt me back, please. I'm begging u. –CDC_

I rolled my eyes and then entered his number into the 'do not receive texts/calls from this number' category before deleting it.

I rang the doorbell to Nikki's uncle's mansion, and waited patiently for someone to answer the door. It was then that I realized I still had my car parked in front of their house.

_Drat_. I had started saying lots of things that should never be repeated under my breath when the front door creaked open to reveal Daniel. He was decked out in a sweatshirt and baggy gym shorts, with socks that ended a few inches from his kneecaps. Even in my current condition, I could see how good he looked.

"Wow," he said, surprised. "You _must_ be really upset if you're using that type of language."

I smiled weakly. "Yeah."

"You look like you could use a hug." And, before I could open my mouth to say no thanks, he pulled me in for a big bear hug.

A few seconds into the hug, I relaxed and hugged him back, squeezing hard. I inhaled. He smelled good in a natural way, of laundry detergent and shampoo, and not in the way that most guys in NYC smelled, like some designer's cologne. Besides, it felt nice to know someone besides Nikki cared.

Daniel finally released me and put his hands on my shoulders, pretending to get a good look at me. "You look like dog poop," he said, grinning, which made me grin.

"Gee, thanks, Daniel."

"Anytime." He left to presumably go back to Cam, and I left to go up to Nikki's room.

I knocked on the bright blue door that identified Nikki's bedroom. No answer.

"Nick!" I yelled, knocking again. "You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," said a voice right behind me. I jumped, just missing hitting my elbow on the railing that kept people from falling down to the second floor's display of exotic plants.

"Oh. My. God. Don't do that," I said, pressing my hand to my chest, where my heart was beating fast.

"Sorry, " my friend said, not sounding very sorry at all. "I didn't mean to scare you." I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry I didn't get the door. I couldn't hear you, since I was in the basement. I had to get some stuff," she said, showing me her arms that were overflowing with towels and…cucumbers?

"Um…" I started, reaching to help her.

"You'll see," she said in her mysterious way.

She pushed past me and opened the door to reveal her humongous room, which did not look like her room at all.

Her light blue walls were still the same, but her furniture had been pushed to the far side of her room, letting people have a clear view of her floor to ceiling windows and the beautifully landscaped backyard where Nikki's uncle was playing with Minnie from in the pool.

A portable spa had been set up in the center of the room, made up of two massage tables, and two mani/pedi chairs with foot Jacuzzis underneath. What looked like a giant blowup hot tub sat closer to the bathroom and the room smelled of lavender and vanilla. Relaxing sounds of ocean waves and the occasional seagull played from her surround system speakers instead of the usual pop music.

I turned to Nikki. "What's this?"

"My way of turning that seemingly permanent frown upside down."

"You are the best," I said, handing the towels I was holding to one of the spa attendants, which had appeared out of nowhere.

Ten minutes later, I had donned a rose-petal pink robe and Nikki had insisted on getting a different color other than pink, so her robe was sea foam green. We were seated in the two chairs, which had turned out to be massage chairs.

My feet were getting massaged from the Jacuzzi tub under the footrest, and my fingers were being painted a bright orange. My eyes were covered in cucumbers and I had a honey-avocado mask on my face. I breathed deeply, the lavender/vanilla scent calming me instantly.

"I love you," said to Nikki, who was busy getting her toes painted silver.

She murmured her agreement, and I was helped from the chair to one of the massage tables. My attendant, unfortunately, was a guy. I knew they were trained to ignore the lust that a naked female brought them, but I insisted on him turning away while I untied my silk robe. I shivered as the air in the room came into contact with my skin. I hoped up on the massage table, lay face down, and quickly covered myself with the blanket-sheet thing. I gave the okay to the assistant and he turned back around, hands at the ready.

Two hours later, after an invigorating back massage and a hot stone massage, I felt rejuvenated. The two spa assistants had packed up their stuff and left a little while ago and Nikki had let me borrow one of her bathing suits-one of the cute ones, a white bikini with a rainbow splatter paint pattern on it, and not her old swim team Speedos. We were sitting in what really _was_ a portable hot tub. When I had asked Nikki why in the world she even _owned_ a portable hot tub, she just shrugged and told me it was a good thing to keep handy. And I certainly wasn't going to question it.

The relaxation music was all gone, and the pop music was back on, and we were singing along to it at the top of our lungs.

So, imagine my surprise when two warm hands clamped down on my shoulders.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed, my arms flailing in the jets of the tub, splashing water all over the floor. Good thing this portable hot tub came with a giant portable mat to put underneath, or else Nikki's faux-fur rugs would be toast.

I heard laughter in the deep baritone of a male. I instantly relaxed and turned around to smack Daniel, who had snuck in the room, along with Cam, when we were singing.

Nikki beat me to it, though. "You. Idiot!" She punched her cousin in the stomach, and he faked doubling over in pain.

"Ohhhh," he moaned. "You got me!" His eyes flickered up towards me and winked. I laughed.

"What a ham, Daniel," I said, in between gasps of laughter.

Nikki smacked my arm. "Do _not_ encourage him!" she said, but her playful side won over, and soon enough, she too, was laughing.

I could feel my toes and fingers starting to prune, so I climbed out of the hot tub, blushing when I noticed Daniel's eyes on me.

"See something you like?" I asked him, boldly, grabbing the towel I placed next to the step, and wrapping it around my waist.

"It's okay," he said vaguely, smirking.

Nikki wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

I laughed. "Don't worry, Nick. There's no way."

Daniel put a wounded look on his face and I went into the bathroom to change into a comfy outfit.

When I came back, decked out in baggy sweat slung low on my hips to reveal my plaid shorts, a tank top that unfortunately gave me a good amount of cleavage, and a zip-up sweatshirt that was currently unzipped. My chlorine-scented hair was tied up in a sloppy bun and my feet were bare. Very casual.

The boys were gone, and Nikki's uncle and their maid were vacuuming the hot tub water through a hose that went into the wall...weird.

The maid, who didn't know much English, spoke to me. "Hose go through wall and into underground tank in backyard. Stores it for later."

I nodded, feeling pretty confused. Who does that?

"Nikki's in the theater room," her uncle told me. Seeing my blank look, he added, "It's in the basement. Go down the main hall on the first floor. The last door on the right leads down go the basement and it will be the second door on the left."

I grabbed my phone off of the top of my duffel bag and went to go find the theater room.

I walked down the staircase and started down the hallway that the front door opened into. I walked to the last door and pulled it open. A guest bedroom. Oh wait; he said the right, not the left. I laughed to myself and pulled open the door across the hall.

A long winding metal staircase was in front of the door. I rolled my eyes. Their house really was a mansion. I mean, it was in New York city, and most rich people lived in fancy lofts or penthouse suites in hotels, but Nikki's uncle was a something or other ending in –aire, either billionaire or millionaire, from owning several nation-wide banks and he somehow got a giant castle as a house off of a privately owned road. Their long driveway had a gate and everything.

I clomped down the stairs and reached a hallway with a wooden floor, oak paneled doors with curved brass knobs, and lights in the ceiling every few yard. The walls were painted a light gold and each side of the hall had three doors.

Curious, I opened the first door on the left. It was an indoor pool, with very realistic murals painted on the walls to make the room look like a tropical island.

I started to feel very underprivileged, so I shut the door quietly and opened the door I was directed to.

It was pitch black inside the room. I made the mistake of stepping inside the room and shutting the door, before I registered what was inside.

I could see absolutely nothing, so my natural instincts kicked in and I stood very still.

"Nikki?" I asked, my voice echoing in the empty space.

"Walk towards my voice, Sonny. Wait, no, don't. You don't know this room. Hold on." Nikki clapped twice and the lights went on. Dim, but on.

I could see several black theater chairs in the very back of the spacious room. Up front, closer to the wall-to-wall movie screen, were two rows of black plush sofas. Nikki was in the one furthest from the screen, right in the middle. I walked to where she was lounging across three seat cushions.

"Want anything?" I noticed she had a small box of popcorn, soft drink, and a chocolate covered banana on a tray in her lap.

I grinned. "Most definitely."

She nodded vaguely to the back of the room, which I now noticed went beyond the door, in a sort of back hallway.

"You can't get the frozen fruit in there, though. That was a special order to the kitchen."

"Somehow, I think I'll live," I said and wandered to the back of the room.

It was like a storage pantry, with foods of all kinds lining a portion of the back wall. I went over to the popcorn machine and spooned some into a box. There was a shelf next to it filled with different things for your popcorn, like cheese, caramel, butter, and different seasonings. I put some butter and Parmesan cheese on mine, then bent down in front of the mini fridge next to the popcorn machine, and pulled out water.

"All set?" Nikki asked when I came back.

I nodded. "Oh, wait!" I said, just remembering. "My car is still parked in front of the house, and it's visible from the road, with its color and all. What should I do about it?"

"I'll buzz the maid and have her move it into the garage behind the house," Nikki, said.

She groaned and got up reluctantly from her spot on the couch. She went over to the intercom and told the maid to move my car and the keys to it were in the pocket of one of my duffel bags.

A few minutes later, after wrestling to get comfy on the couch, we started the movie, some chick flick that I had never even heard of.

But when the doorbell rang twenty minutes later and the maid announced someone was waiting at the gate, I was _really_ glad I had remembered about my car and the maid moved it.

"Nikki, a Chad Dylan Cooper is at the gate

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review please! :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

I looked over at Nikki, fear clear in my eyes. Nikki took one look at my face, and stood up with determination. She left the room, but when I went to go after her, she waved for me to stay put. As soon as she was out of sight, I got up to follow her.

I made it as far as the top of the basement stairs, when she caught me. "Seriously?" she asked, turning to face me. "I am handling this. Go downstairs." I put on my pouty face and continued to walk.

Nikki sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. Wait upstairs on the balcony so you can eavesdrop. But do. Not. Talk."

I crossed my heart and scurried upstairs to the second floor, finding the perfect hiding spot between a potted palm tree and a giant fuchsia flower.

"Let him come up," she told the maid. The maid pressed a button and out the glass window above the door, I could see a car pull up the winding driveway. I took a deep breath and focused on keeping my heart rate steady and my mouth shut.

"Stay quiet, Nikki said, at normal voice, reminding me.

I made a noise that sounded like an "Mmm", but I couldn't be sure.

The doorbell rang and I could see Nikki waiting the appropriate amount of time before opening the door.

I could see Chad open his mouth to talk, but before he could get anything out, Nikki spoke. "You're not welcome here." Then, she saw the sharpie adorning his "perfect" face, and the corner of her lips turned up.

"Is she here?" he asked, obviously ignoring Nikki's previous comment. When he said that, I really looked at him, and was surprised at what I saw. Besides the mustache and beard, his hair was rumpled, which he never let happen, he wore a t-shirt, which was terribly wrinkled, and his jeans sagged below his waist. Perfect Chad wasn't so perfect anymore. But the whole look was so demeaning; I had to stifle a laugh.

"No. She's not even in this state," Nikki said, sounding bored with the conversation.

"You're such a liar, she's probably sitting upstairs-wait, what? Not in New York, what do you mean?"

"She came by early this morning, around eight, and told me she was leaving, heading back to California early, and probably stopping back home in Wisconsin to visit her family before facing her cast members."

I grinned. Nikki could lie like nobody's business.

"Oh. If she calls can you tell her I stopped by and that I won't be bothering her anymore. I'm leaving today."

I sighed in relief. But then started hyperventilating. If he went back, I would have to see him when we were at the studio. Oh no…

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened? What exactly did you do to get her like this?" I take that back. Nikki is not just a liar, she is manipulative.

Shortly after she said that, she started having a big coughing fit, that I could tell was totally fake, but Chad was so busy formulating a response that would not make Nikki kill him, he didn't notice.

"Hold on, sorry," Nikki managed to get out, she cracked the door, and "hacked" into her elbow.

I stood up and starting waving my arms wildly, in a manner that told her I was extremely annoyed. She shrugged in a "What can I do about it?" way, and crossed her eyes at me. I glared and slunk back down into my hiding spot as she opened the door.

"Sorry about that. I'm getting sick. So….? What'd you do?"

Chad sighed. "Honestly, it was all a misunderstanding. I texted Sonny asking her to meet me because I had planned a surprise, a cute little picnic in the park. But it wasn't sent to her, it was sent to my press secretary, since her name is right under Sonny's in my contacts, but I didn't know. When she showed up, I tired to fix the mistake, but my phone was dead, and Sonia only had her work phone on her, and as she left, she kissed my cheek, 'cause she felt bad for me, I was leaving to go charge my phone or find a pay phone so I could call Sonny and fix my mistake. Because, I really do care about her. It may not seem like it, but I do, and Sonia understood. But Sonny didn't see it like that, and I totally understand where she was coming from. I would have come to the same conclusion she did. But she's being so darn stubborn, she refuses to hear what really happened, and now that she's gone, I can't fix it." Chad let out a deep breath.

Meanwhile, my heart had stopped. He really wasn't cheating on me? He cared about me? And here I was screwing things up left and right.

Nikki glanced behind her, in my direction. "I'll let her know you stopped by," she said, in a softer tone. "And um," she said, as Chad turned to walk back to his car, "Alcohol will fix your new facial hair." She smirked, back to her old self.

"Huh? What facial hair?" Chad was feeling all around his face. Nikki reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, snapped a quick picture, and handed Chad a compact, shutting and dead bolting the door before he could open it and see his reflection.

She leaned against the door, waiting for something.

"Ahhh! My face! No. No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Chad was having a meltdown.

I cracked up, running down the stairs to meet with Nikki. I gave her a huge hug. "I owe you so big," I said.

"I know."

"And we will never speak about what we just heard ever again," I clarified.

"I know."

And arm in arm, we sauntered down to the basement to finish our movie.

But, when we got to the part where the leading lady realizes she made a huge mistake and wants the hunky hottie to get back with her, I pause the movie and turn to Nikki.

"Do you think I did the right thing? I mean, letting Chad go? He was just trying to be nice and I jumped to conclusions. Even after hearing his side of the story. I want to forgive him, but I don't know I feel like that would ruin me. I'm like a teenage girl right after a big fight, realizing her parents were right after all and she was wrong. I would be humiliated and my esteem would go way, way, _way_ down."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Do you like him? Like, really care for Chad?"

I nodded reluctantly, and twirled a piece of my wet hair around my finger.

"Then what are you still doing here?" I smiled.

"Thanks, Nikki." I jumped up and hugged her. "I will call you when everything is sorted out, but thank you so much for being such an amazing friend. You don't know how thankful I am." I was tearing up.

"Ok, stop. You are supposed to be halfway to the airport by now!" I nodded, and grinning like an idiot through my tears, I raced to go find my car. Daniel and Nikki were waiting by the sidewalk with my bags when I pulled around the house.

"Good luck," Daniel said, hugging me. "it would have never worked out between us."

"You keep telling yourself that, cuz," Nikki said, punching him. I laughed.

"Thanks guys!" I said, sticking my hand out of the window as I drove down their driveway, only a single destination in my mind.

* * *

I pulled into the temporary waiting-for-a-passenger parking at the airport and locked my doors, ignoring the honks of protest from the cars behind me.

I raced through the airport, just like a cheesy romance movie, getting lost and throwing people out of my way to reach the terminal. Well, not quite like that. I had to stop and ask several people for directions and I never _pushed_ anyone, I always politely shoved them or tapped them on the shoulder and asked them to move.

I was only a few hundred yards away when the female announcer voice came over the intercom and said that the only flight to California was almost done boarding and any last passengers needed to come now.

I ran faster, and I saw Chad, bags in hand, standing next to the girl I know recognized as his press secretary and another guy. They were at the very end of the line.

I was only a few yards away now. Sonia had spotted me and nudged Chad, who turned in my direction.

"Sonny?"

Everything after that one word was a blur.

"'msorry!" I spewed out.

When I was only about two feet away from him, I jumped, and he caught me, spinning me around.

"I thought you were gone!" he said.

"No, I was there the whole time, hiding behind some plants, but that's not important. I came here because I wanted to say I'm sorry for everything that I've done, I've acted like a complete jerk and I understand if you never want to see me or speak to me again," I said, all in one breath.

In response, Chad leaned in and kissed me. If I had had my eyes open, I would have seen fireworks explode anywhere I looked. Instead, all I saw were the backs of my eyelids. But the kiss was perfect. Sweet, gentle, and soft, everything I had dreamed about, and had only read about in books.

When we broke apart after a few seconds, (really it was forty two, but who was counting?) I was grinning like a lunatic, and I could see Sonia over Chad's shoulder, who was looking happier than I was.

Chad pulled me in for a hug, and I rested my head against his chest, breathing in the familiar scent.

"Mmm," let's go home," Chad said, walking towards the plane with his arm around me.

"I'd like that," I said, "but first, I have to get my bags and you need to wash off that Sharpie, which I really _am_ sorry about, by the way."

Chad smiled. "Ok. Then on the next flight." He turned to face his press secretary. "Book me two tickets on the next flight to LAX and arrange for someone to drive m'lady's car home. You go on ahead."

Sonia smiled, and reached for the guy's hand, who I'm guessing was her boyfriend. 'I'm really happy for you two," she said, pulling the guy by the hand and into the plane.

Chad and I looked at each other. "About that Sharpie," he said.

I laughed. "I'm on it."

* * *

Ok guys, this was the last OFFICIAL chapter of this fanfic, but never fear, an epilogue is coming! Review please, and thank you so much to all my faithful readers (Especially to BunnyandChannylove who suggested I change the title to make it more appealing) Love you guys and hope to see you all reviewing and subscribing to my other stories that come out!


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

I reached past Chad to grab a little quiche. "Hey, haven't you eaten enough already?" I slapped his hand away as he tried to steal my food.

"Nope. A real man is always hungry." He patted his flat stomach and grinned.

"Then why are you always hungry?" I smirked.

"Har har har," he said, grabbing the quiche and popping it into his mouth before I could stop him.

"You are such a brat," I said, smiling, and wiping at his mouth.

"It's not my fault. Besides, you wouldn't ruin your perfectly white dress by getting quiche insides on it." He had a point. I did not want to ruin this dress.

"But you have on an equally expensive tux," I retorted. "At least lemme know how good it was, so I know how much I was missing out on."

"It's horrible, you would be glad I took it off your hands," he lied.

"Good," I said.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"God, you two are so immature." Tawni had come up behind me, her date in tow.

"Thanks, Tawn. Don't you look cute!" I told her, grinning up at her.

She was wearing the same white dress I was. It was strapless, and had a bubble skirt. The top was covered in blue lace, but the lace stopped at the baby blue bow that was right under the bust. A silver charm bracelet with a cake, ring, shoes, and a dress was on our right wrist, and I wore silver pumps, which matched our silver hoop earrings. Our hair was all done up differently, though. My hair was done in a simple up do, with curls and a silver butterfly pin to hold my bangs back. Tawni had her hair in a curly ponytail, and the two other bridesmaids each had their hair done in curls too. Tawni was the maid of honor, so she wore bright blue sandals with enormously tall heels, and carried a slightly different arrangement of flowers, that matched with her one-of-a-kind jeweled necklace.

"Ugh, don't even get me started, on these outfits, Sonny. Everyone is wearing the same thing as me, it's horrible!" she said, stamping her foot. "And my feet hurt," she whined, waving Chad out of his seat so she could sit. "Plus my date has the breath of an ogre and the dancing skills of Frankenstein," she confided to me. Chad overheard and snorted into his punch. I glared at him.

The DJ spared him from a lecture, though, when he turned on the music and introduced the bride and groom.

"Please join me in putting your hands together for Tami and Daniel Richards!" We all clapped, and I got up so Chad could sit in my seat, he was starting to get antsy. He put his arms around my waist and tugged me down on top of him. I snuggled into his warm embrace and ignored Tawni, who was doing a ferocious gagging impression that could have won her an Oscar.

Yeah, so I bet you are really confused right now. Long story short, I invited Nikki, Cam, and Daniel up to the _So Random_ studio for a week a few months after I left New York with Chad. Tami was visiting her sister, and Daniel and her hit it off. They dated for a year, and then got married about an hour ago. Nikki is one of the bridesmaids, but is currently off ordering the caterers around, trying to get ready to cut the cake. Cam looked adorable as a ring bearer, but hey he now a spunky teenager at the ripe age of fifteen and did not look happy about it. Andrew was here too, somewhere, off with his now-steady girlfriend Monica, and the rest of my cast mates are here reeking havoc at the elderly table.

Chad pulled me up and out of my revere as we all crowded around the happy couple to watch their first dance.

After Tami and Daniel's first song, Chad pulled me in for a slow dance.

"You look beautiful," he whispered to me. I blushed.

"Thanks."

Someone tapped Chad's shoulder. "Can I cut in?" I looked up from Chad's shoulder. It was Daniel.

"Of course." Chad went away to dance with Tawni and Daniel put his arms around my waist.

"So, I told you things would never work out, and look, here we are at my wedding, proving my point." I shoved him a little.

"Shut up," I said, grinning. "We were never anything, and you should just admit that to yourself," I teased.

Daniel ignored me and was twirling me in a circle when I spotted him. I stumbled a bit, at the surprise of seeing him here, but looking back, I don't really know why. I mean, I should have expected to see him here, being Tami and Tawni's cousin and all.

Casey was dancing with a pretty blonde, her head resting on his shoulder.

I was swung back into Daniel, and I put my arms around his neck again. Casey's eyes met mine over Daniel's shoulder and the blonde's head. He smiled and nodded at me in recognition, and I did the same. All the anger and pain at me that I had assumed would stay in him forever was obviously gone. He had found someone else to mend his broken heart, just as I had taken comfort in Chad and Nikki to help mend mine. The song ended and I went to go sit down with Chad, setting my head against his chest and sighing deeply. I smiled to myself. Finally, everything was okay.

* * *

Ok, this is truly the end! i am so sad that i am done, but happy i don't have to remember to upload or type anything else for a little while...review, let me know how you liked the story...and a whole bunch of thankyouthankyouthankyous to thespeechlessconversation aka my best friend who has helped tons with this story :) goodbye my faithful readers! :'(

ok im done being all dramatic now haha, but seriously, i will miss you and your uplifting reviews, so tell others about my story :)


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